User blog comment:Zippertrain85/Why Zenimax, Why?/@comment-4662333-20140202045148/@comment-97.89.230.36-20140202055601

Two things:

One: Play as an Imperial makes perfect sense. They're being attacked on all sides, Mannimarco is summoning undead and daedra, and the daedra are also invading with dark anchors. I'd say leaving for a sturdier, more secure part of Tamriel would be a smart idea.

Second: Yes, the Imperial is a stupid money-grab, but you can't blame that on Zenimax. To be more precise, it's probably mostly they're marketing division rather than their development division.

The ShoddyCast on Youtube provides  in-depth info on the topic if you want to see more of where I'm coming from.