Come time for the Nintendo’s E3 2011 Keynote and Iwata made a point to mention the upcoming console’s already-confirmed third party support for its launch - some of the confirmed third party Wii U games include Darksiders 2, Assassin’s Creed and Batman: Arkham City. Today, we can add Bethesda Softworks to the growing list of supportive developers, as they have stated that there is a possibility that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim could be released for the Wii U.
When the Wii U was revealed at E3 this year, the footage used to show off the third party line-up was actually taken from existing PS3 and Xbox 360 footage for those same games. Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime was quick to point out that the Wii U would have graphics comparable to existing consoles while at the same time making use of the system’s unique peripheral designs. The inclusion of Skyrim could lend creedance to those claims.
The article from Official Nintendo Magazine includes an interview with Bethesda’s Vice President of Operations, Pete Hines. Hines says that Bethesda is always interested in putting games out for any console that can support their software. However, he does hint that radical redesigns in order to accommodate the Wii U version are probably out of the question.
Notice that every phrase in this post has used the word ‘could’ or ‘is possible.’ Hines also says that making a game for another system takes a lot of time and represents an enormous undertaking. He also mentions specifics as to why this process can take as long as it sometimes does.
So while Bethesda is more than willing to entertain the idea of making the game for Nintendo’s next console, they remain tight lipped about a decision one way or the other (read: they will make it for the Wii U). Since Nintendo will not release any pricing or release details until 2012, it doesn’t really matter. Even then we don’t know if the console will even see a release within that same year.
Skyrim is the first Elder Scrolls game in five years after the widely successful The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Few details regarding the story in the next installment (outside of dragon hunting) have been made public, but you can check out our E3 preview of the game for more information.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim arrives November 11th, and will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
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Source: Official Nintendo Magazine
