It’s not entirely new news; Hines has been repeating variations of this rebuttal for years, just as he did right up until The Elder Scrolls Online was formally announced, so as usual, take it all with a sackful of saltrice.
In other Elder Scrolls news, the internet is busy going ballistic over what appears to be Bethsoft’s second attempt at paid mods via what it’s calling the “Creation Club.” It looks like a variation of what companies like Digital Extremes and Studio Wildcard offer, a partnership with specific modders to create mods under the studio’s banner. The controversy, of course, revolves around the proposed storefront through which these modders will sell their stuff — and the “credits” system players will be using to buy those mods. So far the program appears to be limited to Skyrim and Fallout 4, so ESO fans needn’t worry just yet.