User blog comment:Equillibrium/Elder Scrolls Online Gets PC and Mac Release Date/@comment-66.87.137.193-20131218152835/@comment-5558140-20131219083017

the idea was to make it as familiar to TES fans as possible while emerging into completely new territory for a TES game. the monthly fee is practically standard in high cost production/support MMO games, and mods would break any semblance of balance or even fun the game could have.