This effort I don't believe was targeting people like most of what you would find here.
This ad-block ban, was mostly targeted at people who didn't know what an ad-blocker was and didn't want to have to deal with having to get banned.
If Alphabet(google) is actually serious about blocking ad-blockers, I would be surprised. Mostly because Microsoft has had more experience with this, also has billions, and even they quit.
With Elder Scrolls 6 development out of the concept phase and into full swing,
They just started development.
They have also learned some good lessons. However, let us dispel one notion. "Fans" did not cause the announcement 10 years before it's development.
Looking at the history, Microsoft bought Bethesda in 2021, and Elder scrolls was announced 2018.
Which all things considered, is a three year gap.
Regardless I stand by my conclusion if for the only sake that they would have zero motivation to leak this even if it was just an idea. "Just because of fans." No CEO thinks like that. At least, none anymore.
It was shareholders.
Gamer can wait until the day a good game comes out, a company needs hype to build it's brand for stock holders.
Edit:
But at the time of the announcement, Bethesda wasn’t a publically traded company, they were private, were they not? Which means they weren’t overly beholden to stockholders if I’m not mistaken? I could be totally wrong on that, though.
Please go down below and congratulations to iheartneopets for pointing out the nose on my face.
If we were talking about an elected democracy with elections every 4 years.... I might be inclined to agree, but the last time the people of Palestine got to vote on their government, was in 2005.
They haven't been able to elect a new leader since 2008.
And I imagine they aren't too keen right now to hold an election.
"Aaron Keller gets that (people are upset). "That announcement was about an ambitious project that we ultimately couldn't deliver."
On one end, he could be lying, after all it's not like they didn't have working prototypes and cinematic for the new game mode that wasn't deliverable
Or.
He is telling the truth. Then making people return to the office impacted blizzard's bottom line more then they thought and was a stupid decision that they should end ASAP.
I guess this could be a glass half full kind of situation.
But they also are not making as much money as they could have if they delivered on a good game. Even if they got only 5% of steam, that is still 95% of steam that didn't buy it.
Sure, you can make the argument that they still got into a new market. However, if your product was scientifically engineered to appeal to the most demographics, then only 5% of that market is concerning.
It makes sense from a perspective that their jobs just got a lot harder, they don't have any of the tools they used to, they are being threaten with termination if they don't volunteer their free time.
I think Microsoft as a company is trying to pivot away from game development and instead becoming game publisher. Which all things considered, isn't a bad thing. WIth improvements to AI, I imagine being a game creator is going to become much easier, so much easier, that AAA game studios just won't be able to compete.
So being in charge of the marketplace is a good business strategy in that context.