By Sagar V. Mankar 
In a move that caught many fans by surprise, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, the beloved digital card game set in Bethesda‘s rich fantasy universe, has permanently shut down as of January 30, 2025. This closure marks the end of an eight-year journey that began with the game’s launch in 2017.
The free-to-play card collectible game brought the vast world of The Elder Scrolls to life in a unique format, allowing players to build decks featuring iconic characters and creatures from the renowned role-playing series. At its heart, the game featured an engaging narrative where players confronted the ambitious High Elf Naarifin, who threatened to unleash chaos by opening portals for the Daedra to invade Cyrodiil and its neighboring regions.
Throughout its lifespan, the game expanded significantly with eight different card sets, each adding fresh content and strategic possibilities for players to explore. These expansions helped maintain player interest and contributed to the game’s generally positive reception among critics and fans alike.
However, the writing was on the wall when Bethesda made the unexpected announcement in November 2024 about the game’s impending closure. Following this news, the game was promptly removed from Steam, though its player base had already dwindled to just a few hundred concurrent users in its final months. With the servers now offline and no offline play option available, players can neither download nor access the game in any form.
While Bethesda hasn’t officially stated the reasons behind this decision, industry experts point to the combination of declining player numbers and ongoing server maintenance costs as likely factors.
As fans say goodbye to The Elder Scrolls: Legends, attention turns to the future of the franchise. A teaser for The Elder Scrolls VI was released in 2018, but details have been scarce since then. Todd Howard, the game’s director, has indicated that full production would commence after the completion of Starfield. While leaked documents suggest a 2026 release window, many industry observers consider this timeline optimistic.
In recent months, Bethesda has experienced significant success with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle which attracted over four million players across PC and Xbox Series X/S. The game’s success is expected to grow further with its upcoming PlayStation 5 release in Spring 2025.