@ the page 1 discussion: Put me in the camp that wanted MP elder scrolls but did NOT want a bloody MMO. Give me some nice drop-in Fable/Borderlands-style multiplayer. There was so much potential here for farting around, especially if you let the host decide which mods were allowed.
I could just imagine playing through with someone with some of those survival mods that force you to eat, drink and keep warm. Foraging through the wilderness with a buddy, or being the hunter protecting a very un-wilderness-savvy mage. It would be fantastic.
Level 153 Bosmer Assassin... I am crying
I never got this argument. Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 ran the servers with no constant revenue stream either, and they even keep adding new content to the bloody things for free. Now admittedly, Blizzard has more money than most game studios ever even see, but Bethesda is a AAA developer too. Plus, both franchises struck gold on console as well as PC, and some of those PSNP or XBLG fees go towards server upkeep.