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Dawnguard comes to Skyrim in mid-July for some Euro countries
Dawnguard, the massive DLC package coming to Skyrim, will launch in France, Italy, Germany and Spain in mid-July, Bethesda tweeted today. The tweet also reminds us that the US version will hit for Xbox 360 on Tuesday, June 26.The "FIGS" 1.6 patch for Xbox 360 will launch next week as well. This looks like the dawn of a beautiful summer, no?
Conan O'Brien takes Skyrim to SkyMall, digs deep into UFC
Conan O'Brien's latest "New Video Games" segment is all fun and, well, games for the first three minutes or so, turning games like Skyrim into SkyMall. After that, it gets all too real as it debuts UFC: Sexual Tension.
Skyrim: Dawnguard beta invites being sent out
Now, we don't want to get your hopes up too much with that headline, but if you signed up for beta access to Skyrim's first expansion, Dawnguard, you may want to check your email inbox. Bethesda has sent out invites to the select few who have been chosen to test the upcoming DLC.As of right now, less than half a percent of the people out of an "overwhelming" number of applicants will receive invites, Bethesda's Twitter account says. If you were lucky enough to get an invite today, good for you – the rest of those who'll gain access should see an invite tomorrow. But let's be honest: for most of us, there will be no email, and only a sadness lasting a few weeks. Better stock up on ice cream and break out your good crying sweatpants.
Seen@E3: Todd Howard's hostile takeover
We were so busy covering E3 2012, we barely noticed a smiling Todd Howard commandeering Joystiq.com (see it after the break!). Thankfully, freelancer Tyler Colp spotted the takeover and alerted us to it. We think we've removed all of Howard's hidden messages, commanding all to buy Skyrim, but we can't be BUY SKYRIM BUY SKYRIM BUY SKYRIM.
Bethesda's Todd Howard on Dawnguard, the future of Skyrim, and Steamworks success
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim game director Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios are weeks away – if things go according to plan – from releasing the game's first DLC 'Dawnguard.' Speaking with Joystiq, Howard detailed the balance between quality and timing when planning new content for its critically and commercially acclaimed RPG."There's this weird line between – if you do DLC too early everyone's pissed off. We have found, if you wait too long, they're pissed off," Howard laughed. "We have a very smart audience," he continued, noting that Skyrim players deserve content that adds more than just a few extra quests or features. "We do feel the pressure to make sure it fits into the game smoothly."To ensure DLC doesn't remove players from the experience, Dawnguard won't notify players when the additional content has been purchased; players must find it for themselves."One of the potential negatives to like 'Joe Consumer' is they'll buy it, they'll load up Skyrim, they'll be like, 'Where is it?' Well, you gotta go find it," Howard explained. Dawnguard adds a new, detailed quest-line focusing on vampires, new weapons like crossbows, and even a Werewolf perk system.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 'Dawnguard' is currently scheduled to arrive on June 26 for the Xbox 360.
Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC 'tentatively' scheduled for June 26
Following a demo of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 'Dawnguard' DLC, Bethesda's Todd Howard said that the game's first content will arrive in June."Tentatively," Howard explained, "it's coming on June 26." According to Bethesda's Lord of the Dragons, the DLC will hit that date as long as nothing goes wrong.To ensure the DLC is ready, Bethesda is offering a beta for the Dawnguard DLC on Xbox 360. Dawnguard and Skyrim's second DLC pack is set to launch on the Xbox 360 first.
Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC gets beta program for Xbox 360
Bethesda recently announced a beta program for the Xbox 360 version of Skyrim's upcoming downloadable content pack, Dawnguard. Beta testers will receive an Xbox Live code for the complete content pack, including achievements. All it takes to apply for the program is a valid email address that is registered with Bethesda's official forums and a minute to fill out a brief survey. Applicants will be chosen in roughly one week. Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC pack is slated to launch this summer for 1600 MS Points ($20).
Skyrim's first 'Dawnguard' DLC trailer loosed ahead of E3, coming 'this summer' for $20
Despite Bethesda telling us we wouldn't see more news on upcoming Skryim DLC ahead of E3, here we are. The first trailer for the upcoming "Dawnguard" DLC went live this morning, care of Bethesda's Twitter account, which noted, "E3 arrives early!"The trailer shows off some incredible additions to Skyrim, including winged creatures and giant vortexes and ... there's kind of a lot going on in this trailer, is what we're trying to say. Take a look for yourself just above.Bethesda puts a 1600 MS Point ($20) price on the content, but still hasn't given a release date beyond "this summer."
Mists of Pandaria Beta: New music files uncovered
Wondering what your experience in Pandaria is going to sound like? Me, too! I've been happily playing the beta all along with my music turned up -- but unfortunately, most of Pandaria has been absent of any kind of musical track. The few pieces we have been treated to from the Wandering Isle and the login screen had me firmly convinced from the get-go that I wanted the soundtrack, but I've just had a little more convincing. The folks over at MMO-Champion dug up a surprise over the holiday weekend: a full 30 minutes of musical tracks found on a recent beta build. The track names aren't really spoiler-related, they're just named after various races and zones in Pandaria, so you can feel free to listen without fear of plot spoilers. The Sha piece is particularly haunting, but all of the pieces have a certain beautiful flair to them. And if one of these tracks reminds you of another game, you may be right. Joining the team for Mists of Pandaria is none other than Jeremy Soule, a name you might recognize. His most recent work includes the soundtrack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you're interested in hearing what musical treats Mists has to offer, give the video above a listen. As always, remember this is datamined content, so it may not make it into the official game -- but if the video is any indication, we're in for a treat. I can't wait to hear the rest of the music. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Skyrim reference 'Hearth Fire' being trademarked by Bethesda
Zenimax Media, parent company of Skyrim developer Bethesda Softworks, has filed a trademark for "Hearth Fire," the latest in a stream of applications related to the game. Fusible picked up on the trademark, which is a reference to a conjuration skill book and part of the "2920" book series found in the lands of Skyrim. Feel free to read the book on the Unofficial Elder Scrolls wiki.Other trademarks recently filed by the company include last month's "Dragonborn" and April's "FUS RO DAH." The first... yes, the first... piece of Skyrim DLC, "Dawnguard," will be detailed next week at the industry's mega E3 trade show.
Next Skyrim update adds mounted combat
Bethesda is making good on all of the features seen in the Skyrim sizzle video, like the Kinect stuff added earlier this month and those snazzy new kill cams. The next addition to the game will be mounted combat, the Bethesda blog has revealed. Finally you will no longer need to dismount before you punch that dragon to death.There's no word on when the update will be available on consoles right now, but if you've got the game on Steam, you can opt into the beta version and test out mounted combat in Skyrim immediately. For the full patch notes, hit up the source link below.
Steam Workshop's Skyrim mods top over 13.6 million downloads, Macho Man is pleased
Between Valentine's Day and now, 11.6 million Skyrim mods were downloaded from Steam, totaling 13.6 million. That's a lot of hanging out with space cores and dragons modeled after Randy Savage.The top mods represented on Steam's Workshop as of this writing aren't adding or subtracting major things from the original game. Many extend the experience in minor ways – bolstered sound offerings, more robust map markers, new spells – while a few add whole new quests. Thankfully, Skyrim's mod community moved away from its obsession with clean faces. At least for today.
Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC coming this summer, more info at E3
Skyrim will receive its first DLC pack, entitled Dawnguard, this summer. Bethesda announced the name of the pack today, simply saying it was coming to Xbox 360, and that more info would be available come E3.The announcement comes over six months since the lands of the north were opened to adventurers, and former adventurers who once took an arrow ... well, you know. Files in the latest Skyrim patch heralded the DLC's approach roughly a week ago.Today marks the arrival of a free Kinect update for Skyrim, which adds over 200 different voice commands to English (and Dragon) speaking regions.
Skyrim Kinect patch out tomorrow; here's a list of voice commands
Tomorrow Bethesda hatches its scheme to coax your inner Dragonborn into speaking – well, Dragonborn with a second-language credit in English, anyway. The free Kinect update adds over 200 different voice recognition commands to English-speaking regions; there are a bunch of new things to memorize, so Bethesda made a handy glossary for you to load up on your iPad or print out. The .pdf files can be accessed by clicking here.Simply boot up Skyrim and install the mandatory Xbox 360 update tomorrow. After spending some time with it ourselves earlier this month, we liked how it bypassed a lot of menu work. The Bethesda Blog says the German, Italian, Spanish and French versions are all "in final testing" and that we should hear more regarding those territories soon.
Report: Skyrim files reveal 'Snow Elf Prince,' crossbows as future content
A Bethesda forum member went exploring in the files from the latest Skyrim patch, and found several references to "Snow Elves," including a "Snow Elf Prince," who has dialogue (we assume it's all about Purple Snow). There are also files referring to crossbows, and a whole folder called "DLC01."The assumption, of course, is that this is content that will be present in future downloadable content, which has been conspicuously absent from the super-popular game to date. RipTen speculates, based on some previous in-game lore, that spears might also be present in the unannounced material. We checked in with Bethesda, who told us it had "no comment" on the matter. Sadly, it wasn't even a "snow comment" pun.
Talking my way through Skyrim's free Kinect update
As much as I love Skyrim, there are some tedious parts of the game that could use a good streamlining.The monotony of having to go through menus to deal with inventory and skills is something, in particular, we could all do without. Enter: Kinect. The free update coming to Skyrim on Xbox 360 next week goes more for function than flash, and after spending some time issuing voice commands, I can unequivocally say it's much-welcomed functionality.
Skyrim's voice-enabled Dragon Shouts arrive 'the week of April 23'
When Skyrim's Kinect functionality arrives some time during "the week of April 23," it'll come in five different languages (English, Italian, Spanish, German, and French). Bethesda revealed said details to CNN in an exclusive interview, wherein the concept was referred to as "Project Adam" and outed as having begun "shortly after the game's release in November."Despite the addition of Kinect to Skyrim in a voice-based way, Bethesda VP of marketing and PR Pete Hines said replacing any combat with physical actions in front of a Kinect sensor wouldn't make a lot of sense. "Doing combat and swinging your sword and all that stuff without a controller would dramatically change the game. We're trying to enhance the experience as we designed it with some additional functionality." We can't help but agree, Mr. Hines.Take a look at the upcoming Kinect support for Skyrim in the video just above.
Skyrim adds Kinect support for 'more than 200' voice commands
Bethesda Softworks announced this morning that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is getting Kinect support for "more than 200 voice commands" at some point this month via a title update. The developer promises the commands will apply to a variety of verbs across the world of Skyrim, from Dragon Shouts (Fus Roh Dah!) to follower instructions, and a mess of other voice-activated actions.The Kinect functionality for Skyrim is the latest product of Bethesda's internal Skyrim game jam, following on the heels of the 1.5 update that enabled kill cams. There's an adorable video showing off how it'll all work just above.Update: A Bethesda rep told Joystiq that the update is exclusive to the Xbox 360, despite Kinect existing on PC.
Zenimax files 'FUS RO DAH' trademarks, USPTO cowers behind desk
There's little we like more than some good ol' fashioned wind shouting, Dragonborn-style, and it looks like Bethesda Softworks parent company Zenimax Media agrees with us. The company recently filed a sextet of trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the term "Fus Roh Dah" – a trio of words that originate with Skyrim.In particular, the filings pertain to everything from the typical computer game trademark to a variety of merchandising and "entertainment services." Though it's fun to fantasize about the ridiculous merchandizing possibilities, it's likely that Bethesda's parent company is just locking up said trademarks against potential profiteers. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll get back to dreaming about "Fus Roh Dah"-themed sporting equipment (covered by filing number 85589296).
Skyrim 1.5 live on 360, hits PS3 'this afternoon'
Skyrim version 1.5 is now live on Xbox 360 and should be live on PS3 "later this afternoon," according to Bethesda VP of PR Pete Hines. This update contains, among other things, the addition of kill-cam cinematics for projectile weapons and spells, as well as new kill animations for melee weapons. Check out all the newness in the trailer above, and check out the full patch notes after the break.
