The ESO release date is just over a month away. Players around the world are eagerly awaiting the chance to take part in the latest chapter in the Elder Scrolls saga, game guides are being prepared, beta players are leaving leaks, and anticipation is growing. Debates rage every day among longtime fans of TES games about whether THAT will be the most glorious series or a flop best quickly forgotten. But there’s a different question that most people seem to be trying to avoid: will the game be ready?

So far, ESO has not been affected by the many delays and postponements common to MMO releases. Wisely, ZeniMax kept his mouth shut about the ESO release date until they were sure they could pull it off, and they didn’t have to delay it once, let alone the half dozen times some games were seen. But just because they launch that day doesn’t mean they’re ready. In fact, there could be a lot going on behind the scenes that will turn the release date into a disaster. Here are some things we are afraid to see:

• The server fails: To be fair, server crashes on launch day are almost traditional. If the servers aren’t overloaded at least once with every player who can put their dirty gloves on the game trying to get in at the same time, then the ZeniMax marketing team hasn’t done their job. But after the first day or so, the system should smooth out, players will establish their own play patterns, and everything should be perfect. As long as there are enough servers, the servers will be properly maintained, and usually someone will keep an eye on things. If ZeniMax is not ready, we may see continued crashes and constant server downtime for weeks, or even months, after launch.

• beta bugs: The goal of a beta game is to test the game and make sure as many issues are found and identified as possible before the main release. After all, no one wants to pay $60 for a game that freezes or crashes every 30 minutes… which, unfortunately, is exactly what some beta testers have said they are STILL experiencing. ZeniMax has a little over a month to iron out those bugs and get the game to release quality. If they can’t, there’s no telling whether it would be better to release the game anyway and ride out the storm of player disgust, or to postpone the release and deal with the last-minute backlash of player disappointment. schedule changes.

• Poorly planned updates: Like it or not, regular updates are a part of MMOs, and there has already been an announcement that one of the first post-launch updates will include the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood factions. But ZeniMax really needs to have at least the first updates already finished and ready by the time the release date arrives, so they have time to make any necessary adjustments and edits. After all, a poorly planned or poorly balanced update can ruin a game just as easily as any beta bug.