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?

Well, that depends how they advertise it.

I could be wrong, but wasn't most of the advertising for the past games mostly about adventuring and the open world? I don't think it was until Skyrim that they actually focused on the role the protagonist plays.

I found this to be a very bad thing, IMO.

I think so. Morrowind rejuvenated the series at a point when the company was ready to go under, financially. If an Elven setting can be successful under terrible conditions like that I'd expect it to be even more successful now, when the series has a higher profile.

Well I hate dwemer ruins too, but not because they're elven/alien or because I want to be a viking. I just find them gaudy, claustrophobic and chore-like. Generally unpleasant. I'm not crazy about solstheim either but I think valenwood, elsweyr, black marsh, summerset isles all seem very intriguing and could be very pleasant indeed. I'd imagine them to be considerably better than skyrim as a location, in fact, all of them.