I too am worried about the demands of the over-hyped fanbase messing things up. But I think there are enough level headed people here that want to support rather than complain.
Most importantly for me, I am concerned that immersion will not be to the extent I would prefer.
For example:
I can hunt and cook but…Do I need to eat? What about sleep? or hydrate?
I can work the forge tools to improve my weapons but… Do I need to perform regular maintenance on weapons and armor? Will they break if not? or be less effective?
I can wash my clothes to improve how people perceive me but… Can I bathe? or shave? What about weather effects? Do I need to be dressed appropriately in the cold or the rain? If not will I catch cold? or frostbite?
I can get a loyal hound to be my companion but… Can I train it to perform certain tasks? Can it die? Can I breed it and raise its pups if it passes away? Do I have to feed it? What about my horse? Does it eat and drink?
I can fish but… Will there actually be fish in the water when I’m not actively fishing? What about birds in the sky? Or small woodland creatures? or insects?
These things would normally seem trivial…but if the game is trying to push realism then I’d hope for these immersion elements to be there.