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Dawnguard may not make it to Playstation 3

August 31, 2012, Author: Ray Willmott

In news that is sure to break the hearts of Playstation 3 owners around the world, the first piece of Skyrim DLC, Dawnguard, may skip the format altogether.

Perhaps we all should have seen this coming. The apparent translation issues for bringing Dawnguard to PS3 have been ongoing for some time as the DLC has now faced numerous delays.

Last night, however, Bethesda issued a statement that could rule it out altogether.

“It’s been a few weeks, and we wanted to make sure everyone knows where we’re at with Dawnguard. Skyrim is a massive and dynamic game that requires a lot of resources, and things get much more complex when you’re talking about sizable content like Dawnguard. We have tried a number of things, but none of them solve the issue enough to make Dawnguard good for everyone. The PS3 is a powerful system, and we’re working hard to deliver the content you guys want. Dawnguard is obviously not the only DLC we’re working on either, so the issues of adding content get even more complicated. This is not a problem we’re positive we can solve, but we are working together with Sony to try to bring you this content.

We wish we had a more definitive answer right now.”

It’s a surprising statement. You’ll remember that Dawnguard was a timed-Xbox 360 exclusive, the same as all other Skyrim DLC. However, that timed exclusive may, inadvertantly, become permanent.

This presents serious concerns for the future of timed-exclusive DLC. With consoles and games getting more powerful, the pressure on developers is extreme, and if content is not produced simultaneously on all formats, then what was initially designed with the 360 in mind, may not be feasible on other systems.

Perhaps I shouldn’t think so far ahead, but issues such as this could permanently halt timed platform exclusives. Then again, it could inspire them to continue for larger, more lucrative contracts between developer and platform-holder, where a piece of content would remain permanently exclusive to their system.

Food for thought.

“We understand the frustration when the same content is not available on all platforms. When we have an update, we will certainly let you know. We deeply appreciate all the time and support you have given us, and we’ll keep doing our best to return that.”

If there are particular issues cropping up in the development of Dawnguard on PS3, then one also has to wonder what will happen with future Skyrim DLC, including recently announced, Hearthfire.

Are Bethesda permanently saying Fus-Ro-Don’t to Skyrim fans on PS3?

(Source: Bethesda Blog)

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