EB Games Australia is reportedly planning to remove physical copies of "The Elder Scrolls Online." According to a report by Kotaku AU, the Australian retailer is looking to complete the objective by Jan. 13, and any unsold copies of the game are to be sent back to its primary distributor, Bethesda. This has fanned speculations about the game beiing shifted to a free-to-play model.  

However, EB Games clarified to MVC Pacific that the move is a natural process, saying, "This is just part of a normal stock recall. Post-Christmas we ask stores to send back anything that they may have too much of in store. This time we included many titles, including The Evil Within, Destiny and The Elder Scrolls Online."

On the other hand, some, such as Kotaku AU, argue that while only the excess stocks of the other titles are being removed, "The Elder Scrolls'" situation is quite different in that, even pre-paid cards are being taken off the shelves.

Earlier this week, Bethesda announced that it would be rescinding the option for players to pay for a six-month subscription. This has sparked the rumors that Bethesda intends to make "The Elder Scrolls Online" free-to-play. If this is true, then the excessive stock piled up with EB Games will eventually possess no monetary value.

There are also rumors that Bethesda is planning to pull the plug on "The Elder Scrolls Online" permanently. Since the title was released only in April last year, it is highly unlikely that the game publishing company will make such a drastic move.  Still, while the game has been praised for its open-world theme, it received negative feedback due to the copious number of bugs and issues that players faced which ruined the entire gaming experience.

Bethesda has not commented on these rumors, although "The Elder Scrolls Online" will be receiving an update this month, as reported by PC Gamer.