The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim DLC to be released on Xbox 360 first

By Ryan Fleming August 26, 2011

One of the biggest and most common criticisms leveled at the Xbox 360 is that it lacks the impressive selection of exclusives that its rivals have. Sure, there are franchises like Fable, Halo and Gears of War that are exclusive to the Xbox, but PC has dozens of PC-only titles, and the PS3 has an impressive selection of exclusive franchises like Metal Gear Solid, God of War and Uncharted to name just a few.

But one area where Microsoft has been trying to even things up is with downloadable content exclusives. The biggest game franchise in the world right now, Call of Duty, has an agreement in place with Microsoft that gives it the exclusive rights to any new DLC for at least 30 days. While in the grand scheme of things that may not seem like a huge deal, for gamers hungry for new content, especially when it comes to the billion dollar juggernaut that is Activision’s FPS, it is an important advantage in the war between gaming systems. And according to a recent press release, Bethesda has reached an agreement with Microsoft similar to that of the Call of Duty games, and all upcoming DLC for The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim will be an Xbox 360 exclusive for at least 30 days.

While Bethesda has yet to announce any specifics in regards to Skyrim expansions—which isn’t surprising since the game isn’t even due out until November—you can count on there being some impressive content for the game if the franchise’s history is any indication. The last tile in the series, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, released the massive Shivering Isles expansion a year after the initial release, which added a sizable new area and story to the game. While Skyrim might receive a similar expansion, Bethesda has seen a huge amount of success (and profit) with multiple downloads for the Fallout games. Based on the potential profits alone, it seems like a good possibility that Skyrim’s DLC will follow that path, although that is just supposition.

But any DLCs are still a long way off, and will likely be released months after The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 11.

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Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

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