Five years after the last update, Bethesda's free-to-play The Elder Scrolls: Legends card game is being sent to the void. Disappointing but perhaps expected, after work on the game all-but ceased back in 2019, the game will be officially shut down for good on January 30th, 2025. Steam has already pulled the game from its store, with a message stating that it is no longer available for download.

The developer had this to say to its players, in a statement posted within the game itself:

Quote From Bethesda

The Elder Scrolls: Legends servers will permanently shut down on January 30, 2025. From now until January 30, 2025, all items in the store and entry into in-game events will be available for 1 gold each, so you can enjoy all the content Legends has to offer. On that date, servers will be shut down and the game will be inaccessible. Thank you for playing and we hope you have enjoyed your time in Legends.

Delisting a game permanently remains a controversial decision, one somewhat unique to the industry. Burning books and destroying films is (generally) seen as a major negative in society, so why do video game developers and publishers get away with revoking access to content players paid for, in essence scrubbing the game from the annals of history? Activists continue the fight to preserve games, even as they face headwinds from companies and government institutions alike. Time will tell how their efforts shall play out, but for now, The Elder Scrolls: Legends stands as another casualty in the struggle of preservation vs profit.

What do you think of the news that The Elder Scrolls: Legends is shutting down? Do you feel it should be preserved with an offline mode? Let us know in the comments below!