Now on Steam: Beta Update for Skyrim (Updated)

Update 1/26: A new version of the Beta Update (1.4.20) is now live on Steam. It addresses the following:

  • Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
  • Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
  • Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
  • Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first

Original Post: Skyrim is using Steam’s beta functionality to give users an early look at the 1.4 Update currently in development.

What does beta mean? This patch is still in development. Apply the update at your own risk and only if you are affected by issues listed in the fix notes.

Be sure to back up your saved games or simply be careful not to overwrite your existing saves. If you decide to opt out of the beta program, your old saves will still work with the current release of Skyrim (v 1.3).

To get the beta, you need to do the following:

  1. Log into Steam
  2. Click on Steam in the upper menu
  3. Select Settings
  4. Under the Account tab, go to the Beta Participation section and select Change.
  5. A drop down menu will appear. Select Skyrim Beta.
  6. Select OK.
  7. Steam will now restart. After Steam restarts, Skyrim will be updated to the Beta version currently available.

If you decide you don’t want to run the Beta anymore, redo steps 1 – 4. At the drop down, select NONE – Opt out of all beta programs. Let Steam restart, and Skyrim will automatically update itself back to the latest released version.

To provide feedback on the beta update, use our beta forum.

RAGE HD 2.0 update

Get more on RAGE on the go with the RAGE HD v2.0 update. The update, now available on the iTunes, includes new melee combat, official support for iOS 5, and enables the in-app purchase of two new episodes, Kraken and Aqueduct. The new episodes are available for purchase for $.99 via the “Store” button on the RAGE HD main menu.

After the break, check out more screens from the 2.0 update.

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Skyrim voice actors collect Oscar noms

The nominees for the 2012 Academy Awards were announced this morning, and two Skyrim voice actors were amongst those honored in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Christopher Plummer — voice of Skyrim’s Arngeir — was nominated for his work in “Beginners,” while Max von Sydow — Esbern himself — was recognized for his role in “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”

Congrats to them both!

Save the Date: QuakeCon 2012 Dates Announced

Prepare for Peace, Love, and Rockets!

QuakeCon, North America’s largest BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Computer) LAN party, returns to the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX on August 2-5. Those interested in attending can reserve special room rates at the hotel by calling 1-800- Hiltons and ask for the QuakeCon 2012 rate ($154 per night).

For the latest updates, keep an eye on QuakeCon.org and our Twitter & Facebook pages for the event.

News on the Creation Kit and Game Updates

It’s been a few weeks since our last update on Skyrim’s status, so we wanted to share details on what we’re working on.

The Creation Kit and Steam Workshop are nearly ready. We’re currently working with members of Valve and our modding community to do some final testing, and we’re on track for a public release near the end of the month. We think Skyrim modding is one of the game’s best features, and we have the best modders of any game. It’s been a lot of exciting work for us, and we can’t wait to unleash it.

Skyrim’s 1.4 update is currently undergoing testing on all three platforms. The update will include fixes and optimizations for the most common issues people have been reporting (see below). We’re hoping to finalize this next week, and submit it to the console manufacturers for certification, as well as release on PC.

Our current update plan for the PC is to first release our updates as “beta” versions through Steam. This is something you’ll be able to opt into through Steam and back-out of if needed. This is an extra safety check for everyone going forward and should expedite and improve our updating process for our PC users. We’ll have more info soon on how this will work.

Echoing what we said back in December, we’ll continue to look into issues that are being reported and subsequent updates will follow. You have all supported Skyrim in a huge way, and we’ll be supporting all of you, and continue to make the game better.

After the break, check out the current changelog for 1.4.

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Watch the New Vegas Ultimate Edition Trailer

Return home to the Mojave Wasteland with Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition!

The Ultimate Edition includes the full version of Fallout: New Vegas as well as the Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues and Lonesome Road add-on packs. To sweeten the pot, you’ll be armed with the latest cache of unique weapons, ammo types and recipes from the most recent add-on packs Courier’s Stash and Gun Runners Arsenal.

Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate edition arrives on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Games for Windows on February 7th in North American and throughout Europe on February 10th.

DOOM returns to Xbox LIVE Arcade

We’re pleased to announce that id Software’s FPS classic, DOOM, has returned to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace worldwide. This even includes Germany, where the the game was de-listed from a banned list last year.

Face off against Hell’s army as you experience the revolution of DOOM. Lay waste to hordes of demonic monsters with an arsenal of classic weapons including the infamous BFG 9000. Take the deathmatch online via LIVE and battle your friends for dominance of the leaderboards, or team-up with a friend in co-op.

DOOM is available now for 400 Microsoft Points. 

AIAS Nominees Announced

Today on Gamespot, the nominees for this year’s Interactive Achievement Awards were announced. We’re excited to share news that Skyrim was nominated in six categories (including Game of the Year), while id Software’s RAGE is up for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering.

Below is the full rundown of nominations…

Skyrim – Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Story, Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.

RAGE – Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering

Join us in congratulating the teams at Bethesda Game Studios and id Software on their well-deserved nominations.