Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Elder Scrolls V tech took "many years"

Platforms named.

The technology powering next year's sure to be gargantuan fantasy role-playing game Elder Scrolls V has taken developer Bethesda "many years" to create, it revealed today.

However, Bethesda failed to clarify exactly which engine is being used to build the game.

Over the weekend Bethesda said Elder Scrolls V is powered by a new engine. "We can now confirm that the TES V: Skyrim engine is all-new. And it looks fantastic," Bethesda community man Nick Breckon tweeted. "It's a new graphics/gameplay engine built internally. We'll have more details down the road."

This afternoon, questions remain unanswered. Is TESV built upon a rejuvenated version of the Gamebryo technology underpinning renowned RPGs Oblivion and Fallout 3? If not, what is the "all-new" engine called?

Bethesda's announcement does, however, scotch rumours that the game will use id Tech 5 - a set of tools only acquired by Bethesda parent ZeniMax in 2009.

"We've been working for many years on Skyrim and the technology behind it," game director Todd Howard commented.

"A new Elder Scrolls game has been a long time coming, and we can't wait to show it off."

When that showing off will happen now looks like early next year.

Meanwhile, the platforms named for huge new fantasy RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are, drum roll, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.