Hell yeah it did. Oblivion was an innovative game people grew up with, it's still fun to play, and exciting to experience in better graphics and quality of life improvements.
What's the point of creating new innovative games when you're happy with a reskin of an old game?
I can't with these arguments 😂 The cultural cache and marketing reach of COD alone puts it in front of many more eyeballs. Great innovative game or not, how's a new AA studio gonna put together the budget compete with a franchise that can afford Superbowl TV spots?
And yet can beat games like Borderlands 4?
OMG, Stardew Valley is one of the most accessible games of all time, in one of the most accessible genres of all time. How are you gonna compare it to Noita and blame the lower sales numbers on innovation?
Because that's my whole point. Innovation inherently creates friction for players because they need to do something they haven't done before, so players gravitate towards easily accessible safer games which is why (when made well) will sell significantly better than innovative games.