Studio Director’s Letter: What are you hoping to hear?

It’s that time of year again—the annual end-of-year letter from Studio Director, Matt Firor, is just around the corner. What are you hoping to hear from Matt this year? Is there anything specific you’d like him to address? As always, please keep the conversation respectful and constructive. My “Wish List” of Topics: Performance My personal experience in 2024 was that it was the worst year, performance-wise, for playing ESO. Disconnects, hard crashes, and overall “glitchiness” were at an all-time high. I’ve had to disband multiple trifecta groups, end “dungeon nights” with friends, and leave my PvP core due to stability issues. I know I’m not alone in this. One of the most active threads in 2024 was the “ZOS, Massive Spike in Ping/LAG in Recent Days - What Gives?” thread, which now has over 120,000 views and ~2,600 comments. It was created back in May, and to date, we still haven’t seen a resolution or even a detailed explanation of what efforts have been made to identify and fix the root cause. All we’ve gotten so far are statements that the team is “aware” and “looking into it,” but no substantial updates. In the 2023 letter, Matt stated, “we are all reaping the benefits of the new server infrastructure,” which many players pushed back on, as it didn’t match their experiences (2023 Studio Director’s Thread). Looking back at that letter, reading the comments, and then seeing where we are today is very eye opening. With the ongoing silence around these lag issues, I really hope Matt openly addresses these performance challenges head-on in this year’s letter. Going into depth—perhaps even on a technical level—about what steps have been taken to solve these issues would be greatly appreciated. Honesty and transparency would go a long way toward rebuilding trust within the community. Cyrodiil “Q1 2024 2025 marks 5 6 years without PVP Cyrodiil content, for the record.” - @React The second point I hope Matt addresses is the plan for Cyrodiil. In 2024, the PvP community felt teased. We were told Q4 would be a PvP update—which everyone assumed meant Cyrodiil—and then the messaging gradually shifted toward BG maps. The community has been very clear about wanting Cyrodiil content, and I wish ZOS had handled the messaging more transparently to manage those expectations. The livestream moment, where Gina had to pause and address chat spamming “Cyrodiil,” made it obvious that this frustration is well-known to ZOS. I’d love to see Matt tackle this topic directly and provide insight into Cyrodiil’s future. When Cyrodiil works (when lag isn’t an issue), it’s one of the best PvP experiences I’ve ever had in any game. The system is fantastic but has grown stale. I’d love to see ZOS get creative: shake up the map, add new siege weapons, introduce ladders or destructible towers, maybe tweak the map size or player caps. Even something as simple as hinting at future changes or outright stating “We have no plans in 2025 for Cyrodiil” would be better than silence. Directness and honesty would be appreciated, even if the news isn’t what we’re hoping for. Community Feedback and Communication Lastly, I’d like Matt to address how the team handles community feedback. Lately, there’s been a sense that changes are introduced that “no one asked for,” and with each major update, more long-time players seem to be leaving. I wonder if ZOS is aware of this perception internally and if they have plans—such as more community surveys or deeper engagement—to implement changes the community is actually asking for. I’ve played ESO since the beta, invested thousands of dollars, and spent countless hours making memories I’ve never experienced in any other game. But something has changed in recent years. I’m hoping Matt can shed light on how we got here and how ZOS plans to recapture ESO’s golden days. So, what do you hope to hear from Matt? Did 2024 meet or exceed your expectations, and what are you hoping for in 2025?