When you describe the idea of a game selling for even up to six years in the case of Morrowind, that reminds me very much of the '90s-era PC model, with huge, intricate games that would have an active scene for years and years, even before there was much web coverage -- and obviously, that's exactly the time and place The Elder Scrolls was born. Now you're doing that in a multiplatform environment, even though that isn't actually how most multiplatform games are sold these days. Did you just keep operating that way because that's what you do?

PH: Absolutely. More than anything, it's just focus. When you've got 50 titles in a year, you just don't focus on those 50. When you're going to a retailer, just one of the 50 you released last year is not what you're talking to that guy.

We don't have those 50, and it's by choice. We could find a bunch of crap to put out if we just wanted to fill a pipeline or hit a number, but we just have a very different approach strategically.

When you have that approach, one of the benefits is focus. You go back into a retailer in 2009 and you're still able to say, "Hey, by the way, this game is still selling great. Have you looked at our inventory levels lately? You're selling it well enough that you guys need to think about reordering, and we have some ideas to keep selling it, because there are people out there who still want it."

We're getting ready to do something else with Oblivion this year, because it is still selling and retailers still like it. If we weren't talking about that game, they'd only be focused on the [newer] things. But we stay on top it. I think that owes to our sales guys who stay on top of it and don't want to let it just die.

It's not, "Oh, it's two years old, it's not going to sell any more." That's not true. It will. If you pay attention to it and keep taking care of it, it's still got a home, it can still do something.

When you say you're thinking about doing something with Oblivion, what does that mean?

PH: Oh, I'll let you know. [laughter]