In the gaming world, only a few titles have reached the status as high as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Originally released in 2011, this epic and groundbreaking open-world RPG captured millions of players’ hearts with its vast landscapes and intricate quests.
In a surprising turn of events, Bethesda released a Skyrim Special Edition, a remastered version of the original game on its fifth anniversary. However, what’s more surprising was the reason and inspiration behind its development process.
Enhancing a Classic: The Making of Skyrim Special Edition
Bethesda Game Studios surprised the entire gaming world with Skyrim Special Edition, a remastered version that not only upgraded the graphics to match the current (in 2016) consoles or PCs but also added mod support for the game.
However, as Todd Howard explained in an interview, the journey was really unexpected. He explained that the idea for the remaster came from an experiment. Initially, the developers were supposed to test the Xbox One development kits.
The main goal, at the time, was to familiarize themselves with the latest Xbox hardware. To aid in the experiment, they chose Skyrim as the test subject. Surprisingly, the team found that the game still has so much potential. This inspired them to work on the game again after the release of Fallout 4.
It’s still a game that we love, and we had picked it up again when we first got the Xbox One dev kits and we decided to start a port of it –– really just to learn that hardware. One we started playing it again we said once we’ve done Fallout 4 we need to come back to this, we thought there’d still be a lot of people who would enjoy it. We really enjoyed it.
Howard and his team realized that what had begun as simple experimentation had the possibility to evolve their beloved franchise even more. After the release of Fallout 4, they came back to the project and completed the full remaster.
In 2016, Bethesda finally unveiled its masterpiece, Skyrim Special Edition. This wasn’t just a graphical boost but was proof that Bethesda is committed to its fanbase and ready to seek the potential of its beloved universe.
Embracing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim‘s Impact and Legacy
As we continue to embrace the remastered version and its journey. It is clear that sometimes the most remarkable achievements come from being open to unexpected possibilities. Howard and Bethesda’s willingness to accept that possibility not only delighted lots of fans but also ensured that Skyrim would be remembered forever.
In today’s evolving gaming industry, where the boundaries of technology are pushed consistently, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition shows the everlasting appeal of great storytelling and an immersive world. This showed the impact of a developer’s willingness to explore beyond the expected.
Ultimately, as Howard appropriately puts it, “We need to come back to this”, it is a subtle reminder that sometimes, the greatest adventures begin with a small unexpected discovery.
