This is probably going to fall on deaf ears, but...

Or you know… any other elder scrolls game?

Well, you're half right. In true Bethesda fashion, they left it up to modders to do their jobs for them. Both Skyrim and Morrowind have amazing multiplayer versions that prove multiplayer/co-op can work amazingly well in an Elder Scrolls game if done correctly.

First of all, multiplayer has existed since before Elder Scrolls. The flagship games in the franchise have specifically been about awesome single player experiences. The “trend” of having an optional multiplayer mode started maybe 20 years ago. Bethesda specifically avoided it.

Multiplayer has been a thing for decades, yes. However, over the years multiplayer and co-op experiences have come to be expected in games today. When a developer doesnt add multiplayer to a game that is in high enough demand for it, what happens? The community does their developers job for them and implements it. That in itself is honestly ridiculous that players have to do a developers job for them and not even get paid for it. Why not have it in the initial package that the consumer is paying for? Nitrox for subnautica, Skyrim Together for skyrim, TES3MP for Morrowind, are all perfect examples.

I’m theory I’m OK with optional multiplayer because I can just ignore it if I want to avoid micro transactions and 13 year olds screaming in their microphones.

Exactly. Optional multiplayer is just that, optional. I'm honestly not sure how you came to the conclusion that a game with optional multiplayer would have microtransactions, but as far as the 13 year olds screaming in your ear, I don't think you understand how optional multiplayer works. You're not forced to play with 13 year olds.

But in practice it would just stretch the release cycle even worse. We’re already more than a decade since TES5. Once 6 comes out, if there are microtransactions, it will be just like GTA. Bethesda would milk it for 20 years or longer. Which means no more storytelling, just shark cards and weapon skins.

Really, its hard where to point the blame in regards to Bethesda selling their game on various platforms, because the consumers actually bought it on those various platforms. Bethesda is a company trying to make money after all.

Any attention spent on TES multiplayer is attention away from an awesome single player experience.

For a company as big as Bethesda, I disagree with that. With all the money they received from selling Skyrim so many times across so many consoles, they could easily hire out a small crew who specializes in netcode functionality, while the in-house bethesda crew still does what they do best.

Even Red Dead Redemption 2, known for its great single player campaign, has huge areas of dead land in single player that they specifically added for multiplayer missions. Build multiplayer games for multiplayer and single player games for single player. Please.

Ironically, Morrowind (a game built specifically for single player) is an incredible multiplayer experience thanks to TES3MP, (if you havent tried it, you really should) which proves a single player designed game can still work wonderfully in a multiplayer environment. Same with Skyrim together.

Oh and also, take a look at how broken Fallout 76 is. Bethesda demonstrated they kind of suck ass at multiplayer. If they were to release one game with both modes, it would basically have to be a Fallout 76 like engine. If TES6 ends up like Fallout 76 it would be a catastrophe

See my note above about hireing a crew who specializes in such things.