I really think that as a Beth forum fanbase we can ease back on the griping regarding Beth moving on from Skyrim.

Yes, the impression we were under was that there would be ongoing 'major' support through 2013...but at no point was that quantified, or qualified with any sort of firm detail. Even the original statement way back when of "...less dlc than fallout, but more content..." was open to interpretation.

Beth isn't some indie developer who can devote significant internal resources to the support of a single, or limited number, of releases. Big name means big money means regular new releases...and that means regular ongoing support for existing games must taper off.

Certainly, Skyrim has significant potential for growth, and the number of new mods coming out weekly for PC shows this, as well as the number of people still using these forums. But in Beth's eyes, for whatever reason, the game has hit its' use by date.

If anything, and I've said this before, we shouldn't be directing our disappointment at the decision to cut Skyrim loose, but we should, if anything, be voicing our disapproval at the manner of Beth's engagement with us, the fanbase. By this I mean using tweets, innuendo in media interviews and various other avenues, rather than making or releasing confirmable (and more importantly, questionable) statements on their on website/forum.

While we continue to accept our role as milk cows, rather than as an integral and necessary part of the gaming industry, we will get treated however Beth (or any other company) wants. Simple example, taking the indie developers of Wargame European Escalation...although they are under a large developer banner, they are an indie outfit. They provide balances, small fixes, patches, extra content and updates anywhere from weekly to monthly. Their development team actually discuss issues and ideas on their forums, and make a serious effort to engage with the gamers. More to the point, they will actually make an announcement of a patch coming down the line, and update everyone as to when it will hit and the progress with it...On several occasions they have pulled all-night work sessions to roll out a patch the next day, even over weekends...and they have kept everyone informed online. That's a big difference from the fire and forget Beth system.