» Sat May 28, 2011 2:19 am
Aside from the fact I find it unlikely that two major titles that are as complex as rpgs will hold their release date a year out from completion, it doesn't really matter. Neither game is going to get lost in the hype of the other. As far as the PS3 goes (which is my platform of choice) almost all of us have warm fuzzy feelings about Oblivion because it was one of the titles available in the first year of the console that was just brimming with quality and, most importantly, was fun to play hours at a time. I still remember leaving the sewers in Oblivion and seeing the game world, looking up into the night sky. That was the moment that current gen gaming arrived for me... so it's a very fond memory.
For what it's worth, I'm going to be pre-ordering Skyrim and probably not playing ME3 at all. Either way though, if someone's a fan of the series a near-simultaneous release of an rpg with a different mentality and set in a different world probably won't affect sales. Maybe opening month sales, but honestly... unless we own a great deal of stock in Obsidian, Bethesda or Zenimax, who cares?
One thing I would make a point of though, if I were in charge, is to reiterate again and again that this engine is NOT the Fallout: NV engine and it is a finished game that's completed the QA process.