User blog comment:Jimeee/Elder Scrolls Online will be subscription based/@comment-24.100.24.213-20130915021541/@comment-5469467-20130915023954

It's possible that there will be a cash shop, but considering there is a subscription instead of a free-to-play model it's unlikely to be pay-to-win. After all, they're making most of their money of subscriptions, not selling overpowered items to players.