People need to stop blaming fans for this mess

The business model is incredibly simple. If you, as a developer, release a game that can bring in enough money to make a reasonable profit[1], then you, as a developer, win. If you don't, then you lose.

There are many ways to go about this. You could go small and make a cheap game that small number of people love. You could go big and make an average game that a large number of people like. But if Bioware chooses to intentionally piss off a section of their fanbase, and they have chosen to intentionally piss off sections of their fanbase for years because of the view they weren't needed. Otherwise their white hating developer wouldn't have been supported as he was. If Bioware chooses to piss off a section of their fanbase, to then turn around and blame that section of their fanbase for being pissed off is absurd. If Bioware is of the view that this section of the fanbase wasn't needed then it shouldn't concern themselves with what that section is doing, but rather their new target audience who they're looking to bring in.

When Bethesda released Oblivion they made the conscious decision to cut out their hardcore fanbase that supported them for years. For a year their forums exploded in anger resulting in many bans and purges. But, because Bethesda brought in a larger, bigger audience it didn't matter. Because Skyrim blew everybody away (even though Morrowind is the best )

The problem with Bioware is that they're pissing their old fanbase off without bringing in a newer audience. Why? Because they're building a game based on exploration when their exploration sucks. Do you think Bethesda cares that people have been mocking the running actions of their characters for years? No. Because the exploration in an exploration game is great. Bioware chose to make a game based on exploration, ala Dragon Age Inquisition, and this was again their downfall like in Inquisition. This is because ever since Baldur's Gate Bioware have made linear experiences with great stories. They don't do the exploration model well, and this is the reason they failed. In a game meant to be exploration based, it WAS A CHORE.

The fans had nothing to do with Bioware's failure. Bioware were cutting a section off and they were willing to deal with their angst. The reason Bioware failed is they again targeted an exploration based game which they are shit at. And they got hammered, and deservedly so.

[1] Reasonable being subject to EA these days

EDIT: Oblivion, not Obsidian xD