User blog comment:LeDaea/On Attribute removal from Skyrim/@comment-5469467-20130409044545/@comment-5469467-20130410083416

My understanding of how Bethesda wanted to approach character development in Skyrim was that they wanted a system that allows characters to level the skills they want to use, without being restricted by classes or attributes. As you said in your example, it's a less complicated system, but I think whether or not it's an improvement to usability and popularity is a matter of opinion. Some certainly view it negatively, but I think others would find that the removal is actually a good thing. I personally have nothing against the removal (though I didn't mind the attribute system in Oblivion and Morrowind), but Bethesda needs to be careful so that any additional streamlining they may do doesn't come across negatively. Like I said, I don't think they're dumbing the games down, but I imagine what matters is that they're not viewed as doing such when they actually aren't.