Bethesda's RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been released on so many platforms over the years since its 2011 debut that one developer at Bethesda believes it's becoming something of a joke.
Bethesda's Matt Carofano, the creative director for the just-released Switch 2 Anniversary Edition of Skyrim, told Nintendo Life that, "It's a bit of a joke at this point how often we release Skyrim."
Carofano said Skyrim is a "great game" and the goal in releasing the game in so many places is to help it reach more people "in the best way possible."
He also discussed bringing Skyrim to Switch 2, saying there is a "whole new generation" of people who might pick up a Switch 2 and "that's the first time they've ever played Skyrim."
Bethesda previously put Skyrim on the original Switch, so creating a native Switch 2 version was "really an easy development process" and a "pretty quick" job to do, at least compared to Bethesda's traditional development timelines.
"Making the game takes years and years and years, but bringing it to this new console was a much, much faster process," he said.
The developer went on to discuss the ways in which Bethesda took advantage of the Switch 2 hardware.
"A lot of it was really just focusing on taking advantage of the new hardware. We can use DLSS now and get better resolution, better performance, and the game loads faster," he said. "Switch 2 has the Joy-Con 2 controllers that let you use mouse controls, so we added that. A lot of it is really just, 'How do we take advantage of the Switch 2? What can it do? And [how can we] give players the best version of Skyrim for that console?'"
Skyrim for Switch 2 launched this week and people quickly discovered numerous issues, including input delay. Bethesda said it is now investigating reports of performance issues, but there is no timeline or further details for when fixes will be available.
Before this, Bethesda boss Todd Howard joked about all the re-releases for Skyrim. He said, "If you want us to stop releasing it, stop buying it." Skyrim was originally released in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, before coming to PS4 and Xbox One in 2016, then Nintendo Switch in 2017, and then PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2021. The Switch 2 edition launched on December 9.
For those who already own the Anniversary Edition on the original Switch, the Switch 2 upgrade for Skyrim is available for free. Those who don't already own any version of Skyrim on Switch can buy it on Switch 2 for $60. Owners of the non-Anniversary Edition of Skyrim on Switch can upgrade to the Anniversary Edition for $20 and then receive the Switch 2 version for free. The Anniversary Edition includes the base game and its three official expansions, as well as access to Creation Club content made by players.
Skyrim has sold more than 60 million copies and ranks as one of the top 10 best-selling games of all time. Its enduring appeal even surprised Skyrim's lead designer, who recently said he expected some other game to eclipse it in the years following its release. Part of the game's enduring popularity comes from Skyrim's vibrant mod scene, where players are always creating new content that can transform the world Bethesda created in surprising ways.
Bethesda is currently working on Skyrim's sequel, The Elder Scrolls VI, which was announced in 2018 but does not have a release date. In November, Howard said the highly anticipated RPG is "still a long way off" and that he's "preaching patience" to fans. Howard has previously said he wonders if it was a mistake to announce Elder Scrolls VI so early.
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Bethesda's Matt Carofano, the creative director for the just-released Switch 2 Anniversary Edition of Skyrim, told Nintendo Life that, "It's a bit of a joke at this point how often we release Skyrim."
Carofano said Skyrim is a "great game" and the goal in releasing the game in so many places is to help it reach more people "in the best way possible."
He also discussed bringing Skyrim to Switch 2, saying there is a "whole new generation" of people who might pick up a Switch 2 and "that's the first time they've ever played Skyrim."
Bethesda previously put Skyrim on the original Switch, so creating a native Switch 2 version was "really an easy development process" and a "pretty quick" job to do, at least compared to Bethesda's traditional development timelines.
"Making the game takes years and years and years, but bringing it to this new console was a much, much faster process," he said.
The developer went on to discuss the ways in which Bethesda took advantage of the Switch 2 hardware.
"A lot of it was really just focusing on taking advantage of the new hardware. We can use DLSS now and get better resolution, better performance, and the game loads faster," he said. "Switch 2 has the Joy-Con 2 controllers that let you use mouse controls, so we added that. A lot of it is really just, 'How do we take advantage of the Switch 2? What can it do? And [how can we] give players the best version of Skyrim for that console?'"
Skyrim for Switch 2 launched this week and people quickly discovered numerous issues, including input delay. Bethesda said it is now investigating reports of performance issues, but there is no timeline or further details for when fixes will be available.
Before this, Bethesda boss Todd Howard joked about all the re-releases for Skyrim. He said, "If you want us to stop releasing it, stop buying it." Skyrim was originally released in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, before coming to PS4 and Xbox One in 2016, then Nintendo Switch in 2017, and then PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2021. The Switch 2 edition launched on December 9.
For those who already own the Anniversary Edition on the original Switch, the Switch 2 upgrade for Skyrim is available for free. Those who don't already own any version of Skyrim on Switch can buy it on Switch 2 for $60. Owners of the non-Anniversary Edition of Skyrim on Switch can upgrade to the Anniversary Edition for $20 and then receive the Switch 2 version for free. The Anniversary Edition includes the base game and its three official expansions, as well as access to Creation Club content made by players.
Skyrim has sold more than 60 million copies and ranks as one of the top 10 best-selling games of all time. Its enduring appeal even surprised Skyrim's lead designer, who recently said he expected some other game to eclipse it in the years following its release. Part of the game's enduring popularity comes from Skyrim's vibrant mod scene, where players are always creating new content that can transform the world Bethesda created in surprising ways.
Bethesda is currently working on Skyrim's sequel, The Elder Scrolls VI, which was announced in 2018 but does not have a release date. In November, Howard said the highly anticipated RPG is "still a long way off" and that he's "preaching patience" to fans. Howard has previously said he wonders if it was a mistake to announce Elder Scrolls VI so early.
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