> You play it, you have a great time with it (or not), and you move on with your life.
There are series with fans who will play and buy multiple times. Bethesda's own actions prove this: they re-released Skyrim for a decade.
That's not hyperbole. The trademark was registered in 2013 [1]. Bethesda used a decade of Skyrim (2011)[2] re-releases to fund Starfield.
> For context, Elden Ring had less than 5 percent of its peak player base six months after release.
Elden Ring and souls games have an enduring fanbase. I don't know if Bethesda has good will left for that. First Fallout 76 went poorly, then Starfield. Now? Bethesda is Microsoft property.
To me, that reads as a practical way of dealing with what Todd and others probably saw: there's not enough long tail left, and game studios without strong culture seem to fall apart after a while. Bethesda is no exception.
[1] https://www.gamespot.com/articles/zenimax-entering-starfield...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_V:_Skyrim