They said YET AGAIN today the game is planned to release this year. They have shown no indication that the game might be delayed. They've said over and over! Where are these rumors even coming from? Review sites that didnt get to play the game yet?

Here is how I expect things to go, and it is a very plausible plan

A week ago but just published today: More interviews and critics/popular youtubers getting to play the game and interview them. They want to get out of the "talking about it" process and people playing it. That is good. They want people to play it.

PAX: Hands on for the public, so expect more interviews, more gameplay talks, and maybe new info leaks since A LOT of people will get to play it. Booth for more questions to ask them.

Weekend after PAX: Closed beta invites go out.

June - September: Open Beta begins in June or July, ends in September

E3: They announce a release date and if it'll be free to play or pay to play. (THIS is the biggest one -- If no release date is announced, then there is reason to believe it's not gonna be out this year)

Game releases in November 2013.

We keep hearing more and more info, and they want people to be playing it. There is a lot of competition game-wise these next upcoming years, and you want to put your stamp and mark on it. If they were being hush hush about ESO, then there would also be reason to speculate that maybe they arent ready. But closed beta begins in around 1.5 weeks expected guys. It wont take the game a year from the start of its beta to come out, MMOs usually come out in timely fashion from the start of their beta process.

Heres some advice kiddo......

Major MMOs do NOT let gaming journalists play their game unless it was in a release/almost release state..........

Bottom line? This is a business..........

Why are you talking to me like we dont agree? The most popular thread on this board opens up in bolded text in the original post  "BUT THERE IS RUMOR THIS GAME MIGHT BE DELAYED UNTIL 2014" with a lot of people believing it. And I just want to clear it up for them

i dont know prob because thier latest interview they stated that they where delaying it.

maybe thats where the rumors came from, you know the horses mouth

Are you deaf? Paul Sage said in the posted interview today the game is still coming out in 2013. He couldnt give a specific date when asked.

Link me to "This game is going to be delayed" from Bethesda or Zinemax mouth. Twitter FB etc would be freaking out, and the ESO Facebook/etc would make an official statement/post if it was going to be delayed.

This game may be farther along than you think. Prolonged betas are usually needed with low-budget MMOs when they don't have enough staff (+ friends and family) to test extensively internally. 

This is a well-funded MMO not a kickstarter. I wouldn't be surprised to see a summer release. 

And yes this is just speculation

That they plan to release it this year does not automatically mean that they will release it this year.  And even that they will release it this year would not automatically mean that the game would be ready to release this year.

Maybe they will release a highly polished game by the end of the year.  I don't know.  But there's a huge gap between a company planning on doing so and actually doing so.  Every game company plans on releasing a highly successful game on time and on budget.

Actually, you're a little wrong. MMOs are some of the best games at releasing at a timely date from when their beta starts. I remember beta testing Everquest, a large MMO, and it came out a month or two after the beta.

Again, I ask people who spread the rumors of a delay and such to show anything that points to the indication it would be delayed. There is more to support the idea of it coming out this year than delayed. Closed beta starting in March? Highly unlikely it takes the game a year to release after its beta starts.

Influx of info to youtubers to get word out on the game: Check.

Getting to play the game and them having a booth at PAX East to get more people to review/play the game/get word out on it: Check

Beta starting in 1.5 weeks barring a last second delay: Check.

E3 is still the biggest one. If a release date doesnt come out by E3 or during E3, then I have reason to start to doubt the game is coming out this year. But when I play both sides, I find much more info to suggest the game is on time and coming out this year than delayed.

Originally posted by SaintWalker44

Heres some advice kiddo......

 

Major MMOs do NOT let gaming journalists play their game unless it was in a release/almost release state..........

 

Bottom line? This is a business..........

GW2 revealed raw gameplay and a public demo 2 years before release (gamescon 2010).......champ/skipper/sport

Originally posted by Brixon
A release around Christmas time is always good for sales.

Agreed.

However for some reason I'm feeling it'll be November. Just my gut feeling.  Anything before November is a true gift.

Longer doesnt always mean better. Just because they revealed it at E3 2012 doesnt mean they havent been working on it for a few years. (In fact, isnt that the case?)

Diablo 3  (Not an MMORPG though) was delayed 2-3 times and still didnt launch smoothly. Longer doesnt mean youre gonna fix it.

ESO will be awesome and fun when it releases this year :)

Who cares when it comes out...will come out when its ready to come out or will face the rage from all those who demanded them to release...

IMO i wouldnt ming seeing the game go back in the oven for a year.  Come back with something unique.

Assumptions aside, typically longer delays have nothing to do with smoothness of launch..it usually means something major is being redone.  I remember GW2 did it, Darkfalls doing it now, Diablo 3 did it,  Hell even Starcraft (the first one) did it....and i know a few other games that go back in the over and cook for a while...

This game worries me because its a community divided by faction, with the same race though storyline to endgame mechanics that fail over and over, and by fail i mean in failing to keep most launch players past 3-4 months.

I had hopes to see something significantly new to the genere, what i think were getting is a 3 faction GW2 with more depth.  Perhaps if they make character progression super complex it will be interesting, but i forsee autostating and your choice of two skill trees.

I agree game will be awesome your first few runs through the story.  SWTOR was like that though...so hopefully endgame actually works in this one.

SWTOR doesnt even deserve to be mentioned ever. That game was a total flop and clearly tried to copy WoW. It didnt feel like Star Wars, it felt like a single player game, and the planets all felt empty and like they were playing a sick joke on you thinking you were online. Also, end-game was a total flop. ESO has consistently said End Game is super important. And good for them, because its the hardcore players that keep your game going.

When I see and hear about ESO, it feels like its its own MMO with obvious MMO staples that make MMOs great. As someone whose only played Skyrim but played lots of MMOs, I am excited because I like the Elder Scrolls appeal but at the end of the day, this is an MMO, not an add-on or sequel/direct prequel to Skyrim. Elder Scrolls lovers who think this will just be Skyrim but with other human players to talk with while they do their thing are mistaken, although it is nice you can isolate yourself if that be your choice, but they'd be mistaken to think Zenimax is only trying to cater to them. MMO has to have longevity, and its the MMO crowd that will keep it strong. If the MMO crowd dies off from ESO, then its just another super small populated game that would be forced to go F2P if it wasnt already.

Also, I very much care when it comes out. I don't forsee myself playing two MMOs at the same time, and Everquest Next is also supposed to release this year. So if I have to pick between Everquest Next and ESO at the same time, ESO gets the nod. But if EQ comes out first, then I give that it's fair shot first. I'd be pretty disappointed if the game isnt out this year.

It comes out when it comes out.

As far as I'm concerned.  Housing or bust.