I wouldn't say notorious. It's only become that way with the latest games. Morrowind to Oblivion was ~5 years. Oblivion to Skyrim was ~5 years. Fallout New Vegas (Obsidian) to FO4 (BGS) was 5 years.
It's really only since then that game development times have skyrocketed as much as they have.
That's fair. The ancestral post's claim of "every six months" is still ludicrous, just not as cartoonishly so. It's not like Bethesda RPGs are licensed pro sports games or Assassin's Creed.
It's really only since then that game development times have skyrocketed as much as they have.