Skyrim is Coming to Next-Gen With Fishing Mechanic

I think we all saw this coming sooner or later. Bethesda isn’t satisfied letting Skyrim out to pasture. Oh no, it seems they’re trying to hook fans with a new next-gen upgrade. Of course, rather than coming out and saying, “we want your money,” Bethesda says this is to celebrate the 10^th anniversary.

The Skyrim Anniversary Edition will release on November 11^th, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It is unknown whether Skyrim: Special Edition owners on PC will get the new version for free at the moment. However, the Anniversary Edition is launching with over 500 pieces of Creation Club content included, as well as all of the expansions. The Creation Club content includes “quests, dungeons, bosses, weapons, spells and more!” according to the PlayStation Blog post discussing the announcement along with several other anniversary-related things.

Prepare to cast fireball on some bday candles 🎂

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition celebrates the game’s 10th year, coming November 11: https://t.co/uDZ7SfaQK7 pic.twitter.com/ujjaVEW71C

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 19, 2021

On one hand, I can understand Bethesda pushing to make sure they’re releasing things that keep the Elder Scrolls brand in people’s minds while we wait for The Elder Scrolls VI. However, I find that beating this proverbial horse so frequently somewhat diminishes the value of what Skyrim achieved in its heyday.

Granted, I’m never opposed to more games being playable on other systems, including next-gen ones. However, Bethesda’s library is huge. Why not use some of this energy and these resources on a Fallout 3 Switch port or something for Fallout New Vegas or Fallout 4? I’m down for a fishing mini-game in most games, but this isn’t enough to reel me back in, pun fully intended.

Realistically speaking, I know some people will be excited about this, especially since so much Creation Club content comes bundled in with the new version. On the other hand, I think it is a little bit of a cash grab to try and get more people to pay full price (again) for a game that is now almost 10 years old. I also find it strange that they didn’t advertise any graphical updates, beyond those made in the Skyrim: Special Edition version.