[Heather Kush]

Even just unofficial rumors like this make me almost cry tears of joy. When ESV is finally officially announced i will probably just explode. Unless it's an mmo, then i will probably hang myself.

[Vicky Keeler]

Look, if indeed the "rumor" is true, it leads me to believe that Zenimax/Bethesda is exemplifying the Igor Ansoff matrix theory of marketing (VeryEvilDudeodDarkness being the only one I know on here who has any familiarity with marketing can back me up on this) thus it stands to reasons that there is a natural and quick procession from product exposure through reveal and into the marketplace. It never matters in this model how a product is exposed, what matters is the capitalization on the concept through a very swift timeline to ensure market penetration reaches maximum potential. The CPM (Critical Path Method) which was developed circa 1960 with the intent of bringing large ideas into production efficiently and quickly was adopted by many marketing divisions throughout the country. This ultimately contributed to the rise of the famed cereal campaigns of the '60s and '70s and why we still eat cereal in the US even when we know there are so many nutritional reasons not to. There aren't any marketing strategies implemented today which do not follow at least the simple model of CPM and therefore if we are to assume that the rumor is true, the only leap we need to make is that Bethesda/Zenimax wishes to penetrate the market with enough product to saturate and yet still evoke demand. If this is true, then they are in fact following the standard Ansoff matrix and we are very close (within three weeks) from an official announcement, as there aren't any current marketing tenants that would sway this any other way.

Outside of this, then the "rumor" is false or will be found to be false, which would therefore bring us back to the state we were in prior to the announcement.


Several threads ago I made the disclaimer that I was in no way a marketing anolyst nor could my thoughts hold any sway, and I hold that statement as truth today, but I will forever endeavor to think and learn and when I feel it has bearing, speak my thoughts, so here there are for what they are worth.

[Katie Samuel]

Look, if indeed the "rumor" is true, it leads me to believe that Zenimax/Bethesda is exemplifying the Igor Ansoff matrix theory of marketing (VeryEvilDudeodDarkness being the only one I know on here who has any familiarity with marketing can back me up on this) thus it stands to reasons that there is a natural and quick procession from product exposure through reveal and into the marketplace. It never matters in this model how a product is exposed, what matters is the capitalization on the concept through a very swift timeline to ensure market penetration reaches maximum potential. The CPM (Critical Path Method) which was developed circa 1960 with the intent of bringing large ideas into production efficiently and quickly was adopted by many marketing divisions throughout the country. This ultimately contributed to the rise of the famed cereal campaigns of the '60s and '70s and why we still eat cereal in the US even when we know there are so many nutritional reasons not to. There aren't any marketing strategies implemented today which do not follow at least the simple model of CPM and therefore if we are to assume that the rumor is true, the only leap we need to make is that Bethesda/Zenimax wishes to penetrate the market with enough product to saturate and yet still evoke demand. If this is true, then they are in fact following the standard Ansoff matrix and we are very close (within three weeks) from an official announcement, as there aren't any current marketing tenants that would sway this any other way.

Outside of this, then the "rumor" is false or will be found to be false, which would therefore bring us back to the state we were in prior to the announcement.


Several threads ago I made the disclaimer that I was in no way a marketing anolyst nor could my thoughts hold any sway, and I hold that statement as truth today, but I will forever endeavor to think and learn and when I feel it has bearing, speak my thoughts, so here there are for what they are worth.

Correct in a way, though this is delving into Bethesda business plan and not so much there marketing strategy although it's a combination of both, how ever I will help people on the forum understand what you are trying to convey,

Essential, by penetration it means grabbing a very large portion of the market quickly and holding onto it with a targeted section, create an infected brand that people will know. Blizzard would be one of those companies, an employee was asked about how powerful the brand was and they said they could put a blizzard box with nothing on it and it would sell.


So, this is the Ansoff Matrix that SyltStryder is speaking of, http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/matrix/ansoff/ and is actually fairly well explained though I actually don't think they are using the CPM theory and I would think since their project is filled with variables they would use the PERT chart and is probably more of what they are using for the internal development process do to its flexibility and milestones(I heard them bring it up in the making of video for ESIV...the milestone part).
http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/pert/

The company I work for has had me do hours of research and targeting. Though I'm actually more on the computer tech side of things lol.

[phillip crookes]

Snip

A very well thought out post, one question springs to mind though is if say Bethesda started doing a countdown similar to the way they did for Oblivion (I have no first hand knowledge of that campaign just what i've picked up reading the posts here) then would they really need to test the market waters? It's a game fans have been salivating over for a long time, Bethesda's name is quite often mentioned and with it the Elder Scrolls series. Even when Oblivion was being hyped I heard about it and didnt even have net access at the time. So another game in the series and one following perhaps the most critically acclaimed and well recognised in the series (unless you were a Morrowind kind of person) would surely spread like wildfire through word of mouth alone? Staging a leak just seems kind of pointless when all it would take is Todd Howard to say once in an interview or on a podcast, yeah we've been working on the new Elder Scrolls and its coming alone nicely then the internet and other media would explode would it not? Or am I missing the point which is possible as I am very blonde!

[Ron]

A very well thought out post, one question springs to mind though is if say Bethesda started doing a countdown similar to the way they did for Oblivion (I have no first hand knowledge of that campaign just what i've picked up reading the posts here) then would they really need to test the market waters? It's a game fans have been salivating over for a long time, Bethesda's name is quite often mentioned and with it the Elder Scrolls series. Even when Oblivion was being hyped I heard about it and didnt even have net access at the time. So another game in the series and one following perhaps the most critically acclaimed and well recognised in the series (unless you were a Morrowind kind of person) would surely spread like wildfire through word of mouth alone? Staging a leak just seems kind of pointless when all it would take is Todd Howard to say once in an interview or on a podcast, yeah we've been working on the new Elder Scrolls and its coming alone nicely then the internet and other media would explode would it not? Or am I missing the point which is possible as I am very blonde!

Well, that's why bethesda has already succeded they have created a community that expects quality products and Bethesda Softworks delivers each and every time, in fact it wouldn't even half to be Todd, all they would need to say is...we are working on it, and bam it would be far worse than the rumor. Though rumors are good until the product is finished because once you announce a product people have expectations, and I think Bethesda doesn't want to dash anybody's hopes like they did with oblivion being delayed.

[Elizabeth Falvey]

Well, that's why bethesda has already succeded they have created a community that expects quality products and Bethesda Softworks delivers each and every time, in fact it wouldn't even half to be Todd, all they would need to say is...we are working on it, and bam it would be far worse than the rumor. Though rumors are good until the product is finished because once you announce a product people have expectations, and I think Bethesda doesn't want to dash anybody's hopes like they did with oblivion being delayed.

ah see I dont know much about the details of Oblivion's release, I bought a PC Gamer the month before it was due, I have gathered something about crossbows being cut at final moment? I do see your point about Beth saying yes we're working on it and that being snowballed not just by the community but by people as a whole. Take the current rumour, so called professional game sites are saying it /could/ be an mmo and we all know its not going to happen because Bethesda dont make mmo's! Perhaps given what Beth have learned from the Oblivion release they will announce it and follow it up almost straight away with in game footage of things they have tried, tested and know will be in the final version. This fits in with Todd's statement about shortest time ever between announcement and release, if all the mechanics are done and the game is near enough finished then they know they can show it off and whatever is seen will be in the final release? Thsi could be why they are hesitant for an announcement avoid dissapointment and pardon the pun fallout if something doesnt make final cut

[Laura Richards]

You should be banned from the Internet if you put " Direct Sequel" and "Oblivion" in the same sentence anymore.

The direct translation was chronological sequel to Oblivion. Oblivion was a chronological sequel to Morrowind etc...

We've asked the author of the story, Eurogamer Denmark Editor-in-chief Kristian West, to translate into English for us (apparently Google doesn't do it justice). Here's what he said:

"This source not only confirmed that the game is in current production, but also spoke briefly about the content - with fantasy-sounding phrases like Dragon Lord, something with The Blades - and that voice acting for the characters in the game is currently happening in the weeks to follow.

"The same source confirmed, with official game documents in hand, that this will be the chronological sequel to what happened in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which is the latest game in the now 16-years-old Elder Scrolls saga and by itself one of the better RPGs for PC and consoles.

-Eurogamer

[steve brewin]

You should be banned from the Internet if you put " Direct Sequel" and "Oblivion" in the same sentence anymore.

The direct translation was chronological sequel to Oblivion. Oblivion was a chronological sequel to Morrowind etc...




-Eurogamer

If you actually read the danish version of the text he says "direkte forts?ttelse til The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, " Which basically means that it is a direct continuation of Oblivion, but that out of the way. They could still think of very clever ways to do this. If this rumor is true that is. :rolleyes:

[Rhysa Hughes]

I think with all this news from Eurogamer Denmark, Bethesda should at least give us an Official update just about the games production!
It would be nice!

[Tarka]

I think with all this news from Eurogamer Denmark, Bethesda should at least give us an Official update just about the games production!
It would be nice!

I can't wait for confirmation, but what I am really waiting for is the hyping up that comes along with it. I can't wait for the first game play, the trailer, interviews, stolen copies before release, and screen shots galore. If not the best, I am fully looking forward to this game being the biggest TES game ever (and by biggest I do not mean landmass, Daggerfall was enough =/).

[elliot mudd]

Im sure Bethesda knows that we know whats going on behind the closed curtains. If they wanted to, they would've had that post removed from Game Informer and all other website that posted that "rumor" post 2 days ago. I can garuantee they know about the post anyways and decided just to leave it to give us something to get our mouths watering. Im praying for an announcement before the year is out. Too much is going on regarding Bethesda.

[Bloomer]

Actually the way this whole projects been hidden away like an area 51 top secret subject. I would be bitterly dissapointed if it was just "yeah, were working on it now". I'm expecting an absolute storm to hit the gaming world the way it's been built up.

[Jonny]

Actually the way this whole projects been hidden away like an area 51 top secret subject. I would be bitterly dissapointed if it was just "yeah, were working on it now". I'm expecting an absolute storm to hit the gaming world the way it's been built up.

I bet they have a highly trained security team that'll shoot on site like they would at Area 51.

[Christie Mitchell]

Video games like Call of Duty and Halo get boring in a month.... Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series doesn't, well maybe after 5 years, just a little. This is why I simply can't wait for TES 5, and I am going to lose it if it isn't announced soon, like REALLY soon....Next week soon. Anyways yes i love rpg's. They keep you busy for plenty of time. The replay value is incredible, unlike Lionhead's Fable series. The sheer amount of things to do is overwhelming, and that I love. Bethesda needs to announce. It. NOW!!!

[Andrea P]

Video games like Call of Duty and Halo get boring in a month.... Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series doesn't, well maybe after 5 years, just a little. This is why I simply can't wait for TES 5, and I am going to lose it if it isn't announced soon, like REALLY soon....Next week soon. Anyways yes i love rpg's. They keep you busy for plenty of time. The replay value is incredible, unlike Lionhead's Fable series. The sheer amount of things to do is overwhelming, and that I love. Bethesda needs to announce. It. NOW!!!

I wouldn't hold your breath for within the next week. Some people (VeryEvilDudeOfDarkness) feel that the game will be announced within that time period, but I'm not so sure. If the game is not announced within the next month or so I would start being concerned, until then I'm personally replaying Morrowind and awaiting Golden Sun Dark Dawn. You think 5 years is a while, try 8 years between games (if anyone mentions Duke Nukem Forever here I will quite possibly kill you, but I will probably just rant for a while).

[Céline Rémy]

Video games like Call of Duty and Halo get boring in a month.... Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series doesn't, well maybe after 5 years, just a little. This is why I simply can't wait for TES 5, and I am going to lose it if it isn't announced soon, like REALLY soon....Next week soon. Anyways yes i love rpg's. They keep you busy for plenty of time. The replay value is incredible, unlike Lionhead's Fable series. The sheer amount of things to do is overwhelming, and that I love. Bethesda needs to announce. It. NOW!!!

This may be a little unrelated, but I'm confused as to why more people don't jump on the open-world RPG bandwagon. They obviously do very well, and yet there are hardly any games with the amount of customization and open-ended-ness of Bethesda's games. I'm sure Bethesda doesn't mind all that much but they're practically in a monopoly for nearly complete open-world games. Other developers always stuff you into the shoes of the same character or put you on a storyline with multiple endings with a bunch of dialogue choices.

I don't see why Bethesda can do it fairly easily (It started off as a D&D game), but nobody else attempts it. It's not like it's entirely their talent either, there's the Nehrim team who created a total conversion for Oblivion's engine, there are various modders working on different total conversions (including myself), I don't see the reason for the lack of other Open-World RPGs...

I think that's why people are so ravenous for them, only one or two companies create open-world games. I guess what I'm saying has to do with TES:V, and speculation about it, but more of a speculation about the hype behind TES:V than TES:V's content or announcement itself.

[how solid]

This may be a little unrelated, but I'm confused as to why more people don't jump on the open-world RPG bandwagon. They obviously do very well, and yet there are hardly any games with the amount of customization and open-ended-ness of Bethesda's games. I'm sure Bethesda doesn't mind all that much but they're practically in a monopoly for nearly complete open-world games. Other developers always stuff you into the shoes of the same character or put you on a storyline with multiple endings with a bunch of dialogue choices.

I don't see why Bethesda can do it fairly easily (It started off as a D&D game), but nobody else attempts it. It's not like it's entirely their talent either, there's the Nehrim team who created a total conversion for Oblivion's engine, there are various modders working on different total conversions (including myself), I don't see the reason for the lack of other Open-World RPGs...

I think that's why people are so ravenous for them, only one or two companies create open-world games. I guess what I'm saying has to do with TES:V, and speculation about it, but more of a speculation about the hype behind TES:V than TES:V's content or announcement itself.

I agree with you 100%. I guess though at the end of the day, It boils down to what you like...Dragons and Swords, or Guns and AC130's.

[Tania Bunic]

I agree with you 100%. I guess though at the end of the day, It boils down to what you like...Dragons and Swords, or Guns and AC130's.

:shrug: I guess so. I just sort-of wish that as consumers we had more options... Of course then again, part of the game (for me, anyway) is the modding, and very few companies would be willing to do that too... Well, actually, tons of companies have modding systems now for their games. Haha, I just don't understand why Beth's the only one making 'em.

[Manuel rivera]

I just don't understand why Beth's the only one making 'em.

They're not. There have been several released recently. The problem is that Bethesda is the only developer that can do it right. And keep in mind, even with Bethesda being kings in their subgenre, their games can still be really janky in a lot of messed up ways. So obviously open-world RPGs aren't very easy to do, much less do well.

[Cayal]

They're not. There have been several released recently. The problem is that Bethesda is the only developer that can do it right. And keep in mind, even with Bethesda being kings in their subgenre, their games can still be really janky in a lot of messed up ways. So obviously open-world RPGs aren't very easy to do, much less do well.

Hm, I guess it's kind of like fantasy books with new worlds. Plenty out there but only a few are done right 'cause there are plenty that are just badly done. :shrug:

[sw1ss]

Still a bunch of people looking at this thread. 34 people. Comon keep us alive (but not with spam... Dont want the place going bad while its a vacation)

But with all of the news about the TES V and everything, do you think that we will be hearing anything about the book really soon before the game. Maby its all hype for the book and not the game.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[OJY]

http://www.spike.com/video/spike-vgas-be-first/3500340
This promo doesn't mean anything concrete, but it just made me think that if TESV is to be released late 2011, it certainly is one of the biggest, most important games of 2011.

[jason worrell]

Still a bunch of people looking at this thread. 34 people. Comon keep us alive (but not with spam... Dont want the place going bad while its a vacation)

But with all of the news about the TES V and everything, do you think that we will be hearing anything about the book really soon before the game. Maby its all hype for the book and not the game.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Welcome to the forums. http://i460.photobucket.com/albums/qq328/PaulSouthron/Fishy%20Sticks/fishystickcf7.jpg

Seriously though. This thread is notorious for massive spikes in activity. Information regarding the elderscrolls V can be so sparse that people tend to get a little out of hand when even the smallest hint arises.(Trust me, i've been there) Knowing this, I can see where you're comming from, but you have to understand that letting this thread become moderately dormant is perfectly acceptable.

I feel like beating this dead horse is going to do nothing in terms of bringing an announcement closer in scope.

[Stacey Mason]

Meh. Just think, bethesda would have a date set for the game's announcement. Their hardly going to change because game website's are starting rumours.

[celebrity]

Does anyone know what the record for the shortest timeframe between announcement and release is at the moment for a BGS game? Assuming that they announce at the VGAs - which I don't think is too much of a stretch considering that the VGAs' reputation for big announcements - can we expect a Q1 2011 release? Or is the current record for smallest announcement-release timeframe something like two years that gives us nothing to work on?

Anyway, if we don't get a December announcement or a February GI cover I am going with a 2011 E3 announcement followed by five months of brutal PR and a fall release.

Not that I know anything about marketing...