Bethesda's free to play offshoot of the Elder Scrolls franchise has been moved until 2020 for Nintendo Switch. The Elder Scrolls: Blades seems to have been pushed back due to issues with in-game features - specifically the elimination of chest timers, in response to players begging them to do so.
Before this, players had to wait a certain amount of time to open chests received as mission rewards - if they were unwilling to pay, that is. What's a free game without a slew of microtransactions, after all? But now that this is not an issue anymore, other changes to the game are also to blame for this delay. For example, players will now receive more loot - both from their slain enemies and from "breakables," items that can, as the name implies, be broken to drop loot. "Our goal is to make Blades as rewarding to play through as it is fun, and we think these changes will help us do just that," the company announced in an official blog post.
According to Bethesda, another major new feature coming in Update 1.5 is PVP. If you're above level 5 and want to measure your skill against other real people and not just NPCs, you'll be able to do so in a best-of-three match. While you're having a well-deserved rest between rounds, you'll be able to switch out skills and equipment, so as to keep your enemy on their toes. Keep in mind they'll be able to do the same!
That's all fine and dandy, but those waiting for the game to launch on Nintendo Switch likely groaned in unison, because this means the game will not be here before early 2020. However, the PVP will still be cross-platform between mobile and Switch once the latter version launches. "We can’t wait until you can begin your quest in Blades on the Switch, and we’re confident this additional time will let us deliver the polished gameplay our fans deserve. We deeply appreciate your patience!" the blog post reads.
The game also now introduces the concept of Guilds, with which they intend to foster more camaraderie among their player base. From trading materials, visiting friends' towns and purchasing goods from their merchants, to representing your Guild in PVP - the latter sounds like the good ol' guilt trip anyone who ever went to school competitions heard: "You're not just representing yourself, but us as well!" Talk about pressure.
All jokes aside, the new Blades is poised to be... still not what players expected from a mobile Elder Scrolls title, but it will scratch that itch before anything new about The Elder Scrolls VI is announced. It also remains unclear how the company will compensate for the lack of microtransactions thanks to chest timers and increased loot drops, but we do not doubt their ability to make their players pay - literally.
Source: Bethesda