Category Archives: Bethesda Game Studios

Writing the Skyrim Legendary Edition Guide

David Hodgson (in-game, below) is the lead writer of The Skyrim Legendary Edition Guide, which  marks his 92nd strategy guide since 1996, and eighth guide working with Bethesda. Read his interview about working on the guide and then head to PrimaGames.com to read another perspective from co-writer (and BGS designer) Steve Cornett.

So what exactly IS the Skyrim Legendary Edition Guide, then?

Well, by now you’ve seen the frankly ludicrous (but factual) charts and statistics regarding the latest (and final) version of our strategy guide for Skyrim. This edition is designed to function as a massive and complete reference book filled with officially approved content for the Legendary game.

What are the differences between this and the previous editions of the guide?

The first book was chunky enough, at 656 pages. The Revised & Expanded Edition weighed in at a whopping 864 pages, and included all the Dawnguard and Hearthfire content. As for the Legendary Edition? Well, the book has been redesigned slightly (we had to leave extra space at the inner edges of each page for visibility when bound, which tested the limits of what an actual binding can take), with an all-new body font that’s more readable and bigger (especially in the Atlas sections). This added some pages to an already-obscene total. We’ve also added all updated information (such as new difficulty levels), and merged all Training, Bestiary, Inventory, and Quest content into one specific place. We also placed Dawnguard-related locations more accurately into the Atlas. Oh, and we added the entirety of the Dragonborn DLC, including Quests, maps, Atlas locations, collectibles, and pretty much everything else. You’re essentially getting the Legendary version of the game in book form.

Continue reading full article ›

Around the web

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Start your weekend off right with an inside look into the creation of the The Evil Within live-action trailer. Creative Agency Prologue talks to Polygon about designing the dark and unsettling trailer for the newly announced Survival Horror game.

Delve even further into The Evil Within’s terrifying world. Shinji Mikami and the team at Tango talks to Famitsu (via Polygon) about their game. “I want users to get so scared that their hands are in a cold sweat on the controller.”

Youtube user and Bethblog familiar Tyrannicon has put Ironman and Skyrim together. The results are pretty much epic.

Gamespot’s Cam Robinson and Seb Ford discuss their Top Five Skyrim Mods of the Week. Speaking of mods, ever see a Mudcrab and think, “Wow, I wish that was the size of a mountain?” Well, wish granted. Enjoy the enemies of Skyrim in Giant form.

Minecraft and Wolfenstein go hand in hand thanks to Youtube user thornofnight’s recreation.

And finally, Senior Designer Joel Burgess and Senior Environment Artist Nathan Purkeypile explain in depth the modular approach to level design.

Vampire Lord… in 3D!

Flying cars? Not yet. However, to hold you over until they arrive, we can show you how cool 3D printers are – and give us a glimpse into how amazing this technology is.

BGS character artist, Dennis Mejillones has one of these newfangled devices, and he was nice enough to capture footage of his Zbrush design for Dawnguard’s Vampire Lord being brought to life.

Watch the video above and check out more pics, including his printout of a Daedric Dagger, below…

Legendary Release

Today we’re happy to announce plans to release the complete Skyrim collection with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim® Legendary Edition.

Coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on June 4th for $59.99 (European territories will see its release on June 7th), this package includes the most up-to-date version of the original game (employing the 1.9 title update),as well as the game’s three add-ons: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.

Moving to our next adventure

Skyrim has been a labor of love for us since we started designing it in 2006. We never imagined it would become the phenomenon it has. And that is because of you, the fans. It was all of you who made it a success. We can’t thank you enough for embracing the game, spreading the word, and making it your own.

For the last year and a half we’ve been working on new content for Skyrim; from the game updates, Creation Kit, Steam Workshop, Kinect support, to DLCs. Parts of our team have also been in pre-production on our next major project, and that game is at the point where it requires the studio’s full attention to make it our biggest and best work yet.

Even though we’re moving on, we’ll still have minor updates to Skyrim as needed. We’ve invested so much of ourselves into Skyrim and will never truly say goodbye to it.

We loved hearing your stories, your in-game triumphs, and your suggestions. One thing stuck out to us through those emails, letters, and postings. And that is – video games matter. They’re as important to you as they are to us. It’s not just about entertainment, it’s about your time. And you chose to spend it with our game.

Thank you again for all your support. We hope you stay engaged in the gaming community here and elsewhere. Keep spreading the word. Games are the world’s best entertainment because they can do what other forms cannot – fill you with the wonder of exploration and the pride of accomplishment. We look forward to sharing our next adventure with you.

Until next time,

Bethesda Game Studios

Skyrim 1.9 Update on Consoles

Beginning today Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players will have access to Skyrim’s 1.9 title updates by way of an automatic title update. Just be sure to have your console connected online to receive the title update.

In addition to adding Legendary Skills and the new Legendary difficult setting, the update adds a number of bug fixes. Full details below…

Skyrim 1.9 

NEW FEATURES

  • Legendary difficulty setting
  • Legendary Skills – Skills of 100 can be made Legendary. This will reset the skill to 15, return its Perks and allow the skill to affect leveling again. This effectively removes the overall level cap.

Bug fixes after the break… Continue reading full article ›

Skyrim Soundtrack is ‘Classic’

Back in February, we let you know how you could help vote music from our games into Classic FM’s Hall of Fame. Sounds like you guys took action, as music for The Elder Scrolls Franchise skyrocketed to #5 on this year’s list — one spot ahead of some guy named Beethoven!

“Jeremy Soule made his Hall of Fame debut in 2012 with his music from the Skyrim games, and this time he’s gone top ten. The centrepiece of his work on Skyrim is undoubtedly the monumental ‘Dragonborn’, which not features a 30-strong choir, but also features said choir singing in a specially conceived dragon language particular to the games themselves.”

To view the full list, head here.

VGA Nominations: Honoring Dishonored and Dawnguard

Nominations for the 10th Annual SPIKE Video Game Awards were announced today and we’re happy to share that both Dishonored and Dawnguard received nominations. Huge congrats to both Arkane Studios and Bethesda Game Studios for this well-deserved honor.

Here’s the nomination breakdown:

Dishonored

Game of the Year
Best XBOX 360 Game
Best PS3 Game
Best Action Adventure Game
Best Graphics

Arkane Studios

Studio of the Year

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best DLC – Dawnguard

See all the nominees and learn about the advisory panel behind the awards at Spike.com. Then tune in for the VGAs, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, on Saturday, December 7th at 9 PM ET.

Skyrim Hat Trick at Golden Joysticks

Earlier today, Skyrim came away as the big winner at the UK’s most prestigious gaming award show, The Golden Joysticks. The game captured the night’s biggest award, Ultimate Game of the Year, as well as awards for Best RPG and Best Moment (visiting the Throat of the World).

Congrats to Bethesda Game Studios on this accomplishment, and thanks to all you that played the game and voted!