The last we heard about The Elder Scrolls: Blades was back in November when the game was delayed to a release sometime in early 2019. Well, it would appear that we are finally inching closer to the official release date (whatever that may be) because The Elder Scrolls: Blades has gone live for those that were invited to the first wave of its early access.

If you're eager to take a look at the game, you can currently install it (at least in the US), though you'll only get to play through a short demo before you are asked to sign-in with your Bethesda account. If you haven't already signed up for early access, then you will be greeted by the above screen and won't be able to go any further in the game. So if you haven't applied for early access, you may want to do so to try and get into one of the next waves. The Play Store description makes it clear that you can register over at PlayBlades.

Now that fans can jump into The Elder Scrolls: Blades, the game's in-app purchases have also gone live. I know one of the major concerns about this release was how it would be monetized, and sadly its IAPs clearly range up to $99.99. Below are a couple of screenshots of what's on offer, which mainly consists of a secondary currency and loot boxes.

I can't say it's much of a surprise to see so many in-app purchases in The Elder Scrolls: Blades, which makes me wonder about the real reason the game was postponed last year. Did the delay have anything to do with Bethesda utterly screwing up the release of Fallout 76, or was there actual development work that needed to be done to get the game to an acceptable state for a worldwide release? I suppose we will never know the real answer, though I can definitely say I feel a little disappointed with the IAP prices currently listed in the game. At the very least it would appear that I made it into the first wave of early access, so expect a hands-on with the title for further details in the coming days.