Bethesda's ex-marketing VP says Skyrim was its first game to make other studios scared of it: 'You have to be concerned about us if you think you're going to win game of the year'

The fear of Todd, they call it.

PC Gamer
And then they promptly squandered that market position. Which culminated in a Microsoft buyout and a hollowing out of anything innovate or interesting. Sure, the next Fallout and Elder Scrolls games will make a splash on name recognition alone; but, unless they find a way to deliver a good player experience, those titles could easily drive those properties into the ground.