A Long-Running Elder Scrolls Game Is Quietly Shutting Down

Though it’s been 15 years since the last main series installment in The Elder Scrolls, we’ve seen quite a few spin-offs in that time. This includes recent mobile games like The Elder Scrolls: Castles alongside long-running projects like The Elder Scrolls Online. Plenty of fans are eager for news about The Elder Scrolls 6, but it seems likely that’s still a ways off. And now, we’re about to lose another way to interact with the world of Tamriel in the meantime. The mobile spinoff The Elder Scrolls: Blades, which later came to Nintendo Switch, is officially shutting down.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades released in early access 2019 for Android and iOS, before its full launch on mobile and Nintendo Switch in 2020. Though technically a live-service title, it has been a few years since Blades saw any major updates. As such, the news of a server shutdown for the game isn’t too surprising. An in-app notification informed current players that The Elder Scrolls: Blades will shut down on June 30th. As an offline version was never released, this will mark the end of the game. In fact, it has already vanished from app stores and the Nintendo eShop.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades Delisted, With Full Server Shutdown Incoming

Like many modern mobile games, The Elder Scrolls: Blades is free-to-play with optional in-game purchases. The story takes place between Oblivion and Skyrim, putting players in the role of a former member of the now-defunct Blades. Though it wasn’t received particularly well by critics, many fans jumped into the game when it first released, myself included. That led it to relative commercial success early on. However, the game’s story is relatively short, and its lack of recent updates means many fans have all but forgotten about the game.

While there likely aren’t too many active players left compared to its early days, Blades does contain a unique Elder Scrolls story and lore drops that will soon be lost to time. Despite being available on the Nintendo Switch as well as mobile, Blades has never received an offline mode. That means that when the servers shut down on June 30th, it will be entirely unplayable. This information was shared primarily in the form of an in-app notification for current players, without much fuss or fanfare from Bethesda. Following the 2024 shutdown of The Elder Scrolls: Legends, this is the second mobile spinoff that’s about to disappear for good.

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As of now, Blades is already delisted from app stores and is marked “unavailable” in the Nintendo eShop. That means that new players will be unable to download the game in the lead-up to its shutdown. Despite the game’s age and lack of recent updates, the loss of an adventure in Tamriel still feels like a bit of a blow during the lengthy wait for The Elder Scrolls 6.

For anyone who still has the game on mobile or Switch, there is a slight silver lining. Players will receive a free bundle of in-game currency that makes everything in the shop basically free from now until June 30th. And that means that anyone who hasn’t finished the story does have a bit of time to experience it without the microtransaction pain points.

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