<s>
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
:	I-Application
Blades	I-Application
is	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Bethesda	O
Game	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Bethesda	O
Softworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
spin-off	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
set	O
following	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Oblivion	I-Application
and	O
preceding	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
V	I-Application
:	I-Application
Skyrim	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
over	O
a	O
year	O
of	O
early	O
access	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
the	O
full	O
version	O
of	O
Blades	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
May	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
:	I-Application
Blades	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
played	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
designed	O
specifically	O
for	O
mobile	O
devices	O
and	O
features	O
nearly-unavoidable	O
one-on-one	O
combat	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
engaged	O
by	O
tapping	O
,	O
swiping	O
,	O
or	O
using	O
virtual	O
dual-stick	O
controls	O
via	O
touch	B-Device
screen	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
takes	O
place	O
within	O
the	O
fantasy	O
universe	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
,	O
during	O
the	O
Fourth	O
Era	O
,	O
and	O
sometime	O
after	O
the	O
Great	O
War	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
's	O
character	O
is	O
a	O
surviving	O
former	O
member	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Blades	I-Application
,	O
an	O
elite	O
legendary	O
group	O
of	O
spies	O
and	O
bodyguards	O
who	O
long-served	O
and	O
protected	O
the	O
Empire	O
of	O
Tamriel	O
for	O
many	O
generations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
their	O
heroic	O
and	O
legendary	O
feats	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Blades	I-Application
have	O
been	O
outlawed	O
,	O
disbanded	O
,	O
slaughtered	O
,	O
and	O
forced	O
into	O
exile	B-Application
as	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
Great	O
War	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Being	O
hunted	O
down	O
by	O
the	O
Thalmor	O
Altmer	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
seeks	O
refuge	O
in	O
their	O
hometown	O
,	O
only	O
to	O
find	O
it	O
indirectly	O
destroyed	O
by	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
mercenaries	B-Application
who	O
were	O
hired	O
by	O
the	O
Bloodfall	O
Queen	O
,	O
Urzoga	O
gra-Batul	O
the	O
Orsimer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Being	O
sent	O
by	O
the	O
Queen	O
to	O
collect	O
taxes	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
mercenaries	B-Application
destroyed	O
a	O
legendary	O
Ayleid	O
statue	O
,	O
which	O
concealed	O
a	O
tunnel	O
leading	O
to	O
a	O
crypt	B-Algorithm
under	O
the	O
town	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Buried	O
in	O
the	O
crypt	B-Algorithm
was	O
an	O
Ayleid	O
Sorcerer-King	O
by	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
Celemaril	O
Light-Bringer	O
,	O
a	O
necromancer	B-Operating_System
who	O
once	O
ruled	O
the	O
lands	O
of	O
Tamriel	O
in	O
the	O
First	O
Era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
must	O
brave	O
through	O
perilous	O
dungeons	O
,	O
castles	O
,	O
ruins	O
,	O
caves	O
,	O
forts	O
,	O
and	O
forests	O
to	O
rescue	O
missing	O
villagers	O
,	O
assist	O
in	O
rebuilding	O
the	O
town	O
,	O
seek	O
out	O
the	O
mercenaries	B-Application
,	O
and	O
inquire	O
more	O
knowledge	O
about	O
the	O
Sorcerer-King	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
:	I-Application
Blades	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Bethesda	O
Game	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Bethesda	O
Softworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blades	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
as	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
game	O
on	O
March	O
27	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Howard	O
anticipated	O
that	O
Blades	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
consoles	B-Device
and	O
PC	B-Device
in	O
the	O
future	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
supporting	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
1	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Bethesda	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
running	O
an	O
iOS-only	O
closed	O
beta	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
(	O
with	O
testers	O
during	O
that	O
period	O
kept	O
under	O
a	O
non-disclosure	O
agreement	O
)	O
,	O
prior	O
to	O
an	O
early	O
access	O
release	O
for	O
both	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
27	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
that	O
early	O
access	O
process	O
began	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
release	O
date	O
for	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
version	O
was	O
brought	O
forward	O
to	O
the	O
following	O
day	O
(	O
March	O
28	O
,	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
to	O
coincide	O
with	O
celebrations	O
for	O
the	O
25th	O
anniversary	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Android	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
was	O
also	O
made	O
available	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
on	O
that	O
same	O
release	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
stated	O
on	O
Twitter	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
gates	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
:	I-Application
Blades	I-Application
are	O
opening	O
further	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
2	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
early	O
access	O
release	O
was	O
broadened	O
further	O
to	O
include	O
all	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
players	O
,	O
when	O
Bethesda	O
updated	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
no	O
longer	O
require	O
a	O
Bethesda	O
net	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
then	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
release	O
received	O
negative	O
reception	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
version	O
receiving	O
"	O
generally	O
unfavorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
on	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matt	O
Sainsbury	O
of	O
Digitally	O
Downloaded	O
panned	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
creatively	O
broken	O
,	O
anti-intellectual	O
insult	O
"	O
and	O
negatively	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
other	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
one	O
week	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
early	O
access	O
launch	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
exceeded	O
1	O
million	O
downloads	O
on	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
platform	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
associated	O
revenue	O
reaching	O
close	O
to	O
$	O
500,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
the	O
first	O
month	O
of	O
early	O
access	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
generated	O
revenue	O
exceeding	O
$1.5	O
million	O
on	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
platform	O
with	O
player	O
spending	O
reaching	O
close	O
to	O
$	O
50,000	O
per	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
