Skyrim Anniversary Edition is the latest Bethesda game to be announced for a November 11 release. As the name would suggest, Skyrim Anniversary Edition is set to fall on the anniversary of Skyrim’s initial release, marking 10 years since gamers first got their hands on the game. It is a testament to the popularity of Skyrim that 10 years on from its initial release it is still relevant enough in gaming discussion to receive another updated version. Despite Elder Scrolls fans making light of the repeated re-releases of Skyrim, its extensive audience continues to grow, and the multiple re-releases just serve to bring yet more open-world RPG fans on board.
November 11 will not only mark 10 years since the original release of Skyrim, it also holds some relevance to Starfield fans. This is because Starfield is set to release on November 11, 2022, exactly one year following the release of Skyrim Anniversary Edition. It would seem as though November 11 is recognized as being an important day for Bethesda due to its connection to Skyrim, but Starfield will soon share the date with Skyrim. It’s clear that Starfield is an important game for the future of Bethesda, which makes the selection of November 11 quite interesting. This could show how highly Starfield is regarded, or simply Bethesda’s love of the date.
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Starfield’s Anticipated Release
Even prior even to its announcement at E3 2018, talk of Bethesda’s next large-scale project being set in space had caught the attention of gamers, who were excited at the prospect of "Skyrim in space." Its E3 announcement then pushed the excitement levels up a notch, as the teaser revealed a space setting and the title of Starfield. Little else was revealed about Starfield, however, and it would take another three years for fans to receive another look at the game. That finally happened at Bethesda and Microsoft’s joint E3 conference this year, where it was revealed that Starfield would not only be an Xbox console exclusive, but would also release on November 11.
Starfield’s reveal of Xbox exclusivity may have dulled excitement somewhat for PlayStation owners, but the reveal had quite the opposite effect on those with the means to play Starfield once it releases. Starfield’s teaser trailer yet again revealed little about the game, but the in-engine footage displayed the impressive visuals capable through Creation Engine 2.
Starfield will be the first Bethesda game to use Creation Engine 2, highlighting how important Starfield’s release could be to the developer. Although any further statements of intent regarding Starfield were not necessary, Bethesda made the bold move of announcing that Starfield would be released on the 11th anniversary of the original release of Skyrim.
Skyrim Anniversary Edition
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has been released across multiple platforms, and generations, so much so that its re-releases have become somewhat of a meme. Some of these memes stem from frustration among fans of The Elder Scrolls series that earlier titles such as Oblivion and Morrowind have not received the remaster treatment.
However, Skyrim continues to be a very popular choice with gamers, and Todd Howard has remarked in the past that Bethesda would stop releasing Skyrim if gamers would stop buying it. Due to Skyrim’s remarkable success, fans have been speculating for some time that Bethesda would bring something out to mark the 10th anniversary of the game. This speculation was subsequently confirmed by the announcement of Skyrim Anniversary Edition.
While Skyrim Anniversary Edition has done little to halt the production of Skyrim re-release memes, it has succeeded in catching the interest of gamers. Skyrim Anniversary Edition includes over 500 Creation Club mods, as well as graphical upgrades to bring Skyrim closer to the appearance of modern Xbox Series X and PS5 releases. As well as this, owners of Skyrim Special Edition automatically get three Creation Club mods including fishing, a survival mode, and Saints and Seducers.
These three free mods highlight the changes the over 500 Creation Club mods could bring to the game, as features such as fishing and a survival mode have been long requested by Elder Scrolls fans. Nearly 10 years after the release of the original game, and Bethesda is still managing to get fans interested in the anniversary of the November 11 release date one of its more popular IPs.
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Could Starfield be the New Skyrim?
It’s clear that Starfield’s release date was not chosen by any accident. To release a brand new IP exactly one year following the 10th anniversary of one of the most popular Bethesda titles could be a statement of intent from Bethesda. Starfield appears to be Bethesda trying its hand at entering the next generation of gaming. Starfield is a next-gen exclusive title, and its use of Creation Engine 2 makes it a significant project.
It is likely that Starfield is viewed as the next generation title to take the reigns from Skyrim as Bethesda’s premiere RPG, at least until The Elder Scrolls 6 releases. Skyrim Anniversary Edition could be Skyrim’s last hurrah on the 10th anniversary of its release, or it could be a means to tide fans over until Starfield comes out next year. Either way, Starfield is clearly a project with a big release ahead of it.
The importance of November 11 to Bethesda is clear, and Starfield’s release date is just the icing on the cake. The November to December period is already one that holds great weight in gaming due to its proximity to Christmas. These two factors combined make November the perfect time for a large-scale release, but for Bethesda, the 11th specifically hints that Starfield could be Bethesda's next big RPG hit.
Starfield launches November 11, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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