Here’s the deal: Bethesda Softworks is a very successful company with an impressive bibliography crowded with seminal video games that millions of gamers cherish dearly. It would be reasonable to think they’ve also got a handle on economics and smart business, so when they throw a million dollars behind Zenimax and their debut project, one hopes it is because they see the game’s appeal rising with continued development and growth and not because they are blinded by the prospect of having their own World of Warcraft-esque cash printer. What is certain, however, is that the move comes off as a little desperate and gimmicky. A giveaway of this magnitude is unprecedented in the world of gaming. Sure, Everquest 2 gave out in-game cash and WoW recently gave away copies of its new art book, but this grand sum of actual cash is usually reserved for pro teams to duel fiercely over at a world championship. At the end of the day, the move feels desperate and misguided. Why give away a million dollars when you can spend that money on expanding the development team and actually growing the game? There is no reason to coerce players to click that dormant ouroboros on their screen if the game hasn’t gotten better since they last played. So has it?
