Could a game set in and elven or beast nation have the same mass appeal as Skyrim? A lot of people just like playing a "viking bad ass".
I even observed this statement on a Skyrim FB page: "man, I hate dwemer ruins. Why did Bethesda put them in there? Skyrim is supposed to be a game about vikings killing dragons. Putting the dwemeer in there is just a lame attempt at steam punk."
Obviously this guy doesn't know very much about TES, but the point remains. Would a game set in Alinor or Blackmarsh have the same mass appeal as Skyrim does?