So, who’s up for being a born-again Dragonborn?
Bethesda is releasing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the publisher revealed tonight from its leadup event to the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. It’s coming out October 28. Skyrim racked up more than 20 million copies in sales since its original release for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, making this role-playing game one of the 10 best-selling games of all time as of 2014.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1976618,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,games,","session":"C"}']Skyrim focuses on the exploits of the Dragonborn, a hero who journeys through the northern regions of Tamriel to stop the draconic threat. The Elder Scrolls games are open-world romps that feature a great deal of character customization — players do not find themselves committing to one type of character and can instead mix-and-match many different abilities, like swordplay and magic. These characters aren’t set on a linear path, which enables them to explore various areas as they weave in and out of the main storyline (hence open world).
And if you own the PC Legendary Edition, you get the special edition as a free update.
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If you own #Skyrim and all its add-ons or own Legendary Edition on Steam, you'll get a free upgrade to Skyrim Special Edition on Oct 28 #BE3
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 13, 2016
And on PC, the mod-making scene provides for an extra layer of customization with free pieces of fan-made content, which has helped Skyrim remain relevant as it ages. It was even involved with the outcry against paid mods on the digital PC gaming store Steam last year.
Game-industry onlookers were watching for an Elder Scrolls announcement coming into E3, one of the biggest game-focused events of the year, but many were expecting that Bethesda would show the world The Elder Scrolls VI. It has been five years since Skyrim debuted, and that game came out five years after its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006, four years after The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (which hardcore fans had been hoping would receive a remaster this year).
This isn’t the only Elder Scrolls game in the mix. Last E3, Bethesda announced a digital card game set in Tamriel, and the publisher also has a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, which debuted in 2014.
Another Bethesda series, Fallout, has also seen some long development times between sequels. Fallout 3 debuted in 2008, and Fallout 4 rolled out seven years later. Fallout: New Vegas hit in 2010, but that was an offshoot that Obsidian Entertainment developed for Bethesda.
Update 8:25 p.m. Pacific: Special Edition is free if you own the Legendary edition on Steam.
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