The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim won’t be getting a demo

By Adam Rosenberg Published July 14, 2011

skyrim-bethesda — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Prepare yourselves for some shocking news: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim won’t be getting a demo.

Wait a second. That’s not shocking news at all. Oblivion didn’t get one. Nor did Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas. Bethesda Softworks doesn’t really “do” demos too frequently. And once again, no demo for Skyrim. Probably because roughly every console gamer on the planet has an elaborate plan already in place for obtaining the game on the day of its November 11 launch.

The news comes from an interview with lead producer Craig Lafferty for New Zealand outfit GamePlanet (via Destructoid).

“With a game of this size and complexity, it’s really hard to do a demo that [truly] represents the game,” Lafferty said. It’s a pretty safe bet that the “everyone and their mother will be buying this thing” factor has something to do with it as well.

Not much more is revealed in the interview that we didn’t already know. It is a video interview though, and a lot of footage from the E3 demo — which I don’t believe has made its way online — is spliced in between the chatter. Definitely something that’s worth checking out if you’ve been trying to absorb every last bit of Skyrim content you can.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

Redfall won’t get its 60 fps Performance Mode until after launch

Players approach a vampire in Redfall.

Most games for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S let players choose between a Quality Mode that emphasizes resolution and a Performance Mode that ups the frame rate. While Redfall will eventually have both of those, it's only launching with one of them, and it's not the one you'd hope for from a fast-paced shooter.
Arkane Studios took to Redfall's official Twitter account to explain that the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions of the game will only have Quality Mode when the game comes out next month. The Xbox Series X version will run at 30 frames per second at a 4K resolution, while the Xbox Series S version shares that framerate at a lower 1440p resolution. Thankfully, the tweet does confirm that a 60 fps performance mode will come at a later date via an update.
https://twitter.com/playRedfall/status/1646158836103880708
This announcement is disappointing for console players who prefer higher framerates for their fast-paced action games. As Redfall is an intense open-world shooter with lots of combat with flashy effects, the game will potentially feel more sluggish than it should be to play at only 30 fps.
WB Games Montreal's Gotham Knights and Focus Interactive's A Plague Tale: Requiem got into similar hot water last year when they only supported 30 fps on consoles. While those games have not gotten 60 fps updates since their October 2022 launches, Redfall fans can take respite in the fact that the game will eventually get a Performance Mode patch post-launch. If only being able to play Redfall at 30 fps is that big of an issue for you, maybe put off playing it on Xbox Game Pass until that Performance Mode update releases.
Redfall will launch for PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on May 2. The post-launch Performance Mode update does not have a specific launch date yet.

Gaming

The Elder Scrolls Online’s 2023 updates bring players back to Morrowind

the elder scrolls online shadow over morrowind 2023 updates

Following Xbox and Bethesda's Developer_Direct and a dedicated livestream for The Elder Scrolls Online, we learned that the MMO's 2023 updates are all set in Morrowind. Falling under 2023's Shadow Over Morrowind banner, the first two pieces of DLC in March and June will see the addition of new PvE dungeons and the first new playable class since 2019.
While Morrowind is most famous for being the titular location of the third Elder Scrolls game and 2017's The Elder Scrolls Online expansion, ZeniMax Online Studios teased that some of the areas featured in this expansion haven't been seen since the first game in the series. The player's first taste of this new Shadow Over Morrowind content will come with the Scribes of Fate DLC in March. Scribes of Fate adds two four-player PvE dungeons to the MMO. One sees players fight the Scribes of More in Scrivener's Hall, while the other will have them take on Bal Sunnar.
Scribes of Fate launches on March 13 for PC and Mac players and on March 28 for those on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

The more significant update will be The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom chapter, releasing on June 5 for PC and Mac and June 20 for consoles. The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom will add 30 hours of new story content set in eastern Morrowind, two new companions, and a new Arcanist class. Arcanists utilized a variety of offensive and support magic, most of which is based on the powers of a Daedric Prince in Oblivion. For fans of Morrowind and this MMO, it's clear there will be quite a lot to sink your teeth into this year.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available now across PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Gaming

Starfield, The Elder Scrolls Online devs are voting to unionize

The Starfield title screen.

Over 300 quality assurance testers at Microsoft-owned ZeniMax Media have begun to vote on whether or not they should form a union, according to a report by The New York Times.

ZeniMax Media is the parent company of developers like Bethesda Game Studios and Arkane Studios, who are working on some of Xbox's biggest upcoming first-party exclusives like Starfield and Redfall. Specifically, Axios' Stephen Totilo confirmed that the following studios are part of this union vote: