The Elder Scrolls Online has reached 13.5 million players lifetime

The Elder Scrolls Online has hit a rather large milestone.

Zenimax Media revealed to US Gamer its MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online, has reached 13.5 million players, which is up by 2.5 million  year-over-year.

Released five years ago, the figure does not include free trial number, but does include Xbox Game Pass.

"It seems like ever since our One Tamriel update back in 2016, which leveled out the leveling curve and let everyone play with everyone else, that's when the game really started taking off," game director Matt Firor told US Gamer.

"We did have a pretty hefty explosion of player from [late December 2018] through [February 2019] that took us off-guard. We didn't know we were going to be that popular, which is a great problem to have."

Firor said free trials on Xbox One helped folks become interested in the game, and the "Xbox Game Pass is basically an extension of those."

The latest expansion to The Elder Scrolls Online, Elsweyr, recently went live. It takes players to the home of the Khajiit and features plenty of dragons dropping out of the sky. It's rather fun fighting the beasts with other players. Just watch out for fire and their tails. Especially the latter.

If you play The Elder Scrolls Online, be sure to link your account with Twitch. During the Bethesda E3 2019 showcase, watching the presentation on Twitch will earn you some nice in-game rewards like the Clouded-Senche Leopard mount. More information is through the link.