Makes sense. I wouldn’t exactly call Skyrim challenging. It would be crazy for them to put a high barrier to entry on a new genre of game that a lot of long term fans are already hesitant to try
Thancred dying could be interesting if they want to bring Ryne back. I think Urianger is the obvious choice though, since he finished his arc with Moenbryda’s family
The way they see it, their best interests don’t involve those of the game studio. Buying a studio does two things. It gives them a new business to latch onto and suck all the money out of quickly, and it eliminates competition in the gaming industry. Killing the studio still meets both of those goals. And then they just move onto the next one.