'Elder Scrolls: Oblivion' release date and Xbox 360 confirmation

[klarrix]

BETHESDA SOFTWORKS AND 2K GAMES ANNOUNCE
THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION FOR MICROSOFT’S
XBOX 360 VIDEO GAME AND ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM


One of the Most Anticipated Next Generation Role Playing Games to Debut at E3 with Revolutionary Graphics
and Game Play

Monday, May 16, 2005 (Rockville, MD) - Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) today announced that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion™, the highly anticipated and definitive next-generation role playing game, will be available on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Oblivion, the long awaited fourth installment in the award-winning Elder Scrolls series, will make its public debut at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles on May 18. With revolutionary technology powered by Xbox 360 and Bethesda’s powerful development engine and groundbreaking Radiant AI™ system, Oblivion provides gamers with the most life-like gaming experience to date. The powerful combination of unprecedented graphics and freeform game play allows gamers to unravel the main quest or explore the vast world at their own pace.

“Oblivion is by far one of the most graphically captivating games ever made, but the technology powering this game is doing so much more than just making it look good," said Todd Howard, executive producer for Oblivion. "The Xbox 360 gives us the freedom to build a game that is not only visually unsurpassed, but also completely customizable to the player’s desire. Technology has finally caught up to our vision of creating a fully immersive fantasy world that looks as amazing as it is fun to play.”

Played from a first or third person perspective, Oblivion opens with the mysterious death of the Emperor of Tamriel, tasking the gamer with finding the lost heir to the throne while combating the demons loosed from the gates of Oblivion, or hell. Pioneering technology makes Oblivion’s combat more bloody and visceral, as the gamer navigates his way through lifelike towns, dungeons, and the most realistic forests ever created. Oblivion has already received a wealth of pre-launch attention, and has been recognized as one of this year’s most highly-anticipated games.

“The team at Bethesda has pushed the RPG genre forward exponentially with Oblivion and it makes for a stunning example of what the next generation Xbox is capable of,” said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director for 2K Games. “The power of this new technology coupled with the talented developers at Bethesda, ensure that the Xbox 360 release from 2K Games and Bethesda Softworks will undoubtedly be an unforgettable gaming experience.”

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has not yet been rated by the ESRB and is slated to ship for PC and Xbox 360 in winter 2005.

Pretty vague, considering that calling it 'winter 2005' means they can extend the release to February 06 if they want..

Still, waay earlier than i expected (I had it written off as a late 2006/early 2007 release)

[Dooms]

Cant wait!!!

for those that dont know about oblivion heres some shiny shots (not new ones tho)

Clicky!

[klarrix]

Oh yea, that screenie reminds me: I'm gonna upgrade my gfx card to something like an X800 or 6800GT- with a Gig of ram and an Athlon +2500, do you think i'll be ok with running this?

[Dooms]

Should be, dont know if you will get the full shineyness but it will still be nice

[ravenblood]

Cant wait for that beauty ... played ES3:Morrowind , loved that game , huge world ( for a single player game ) , nice quests , nice backround story , not so good as BG , thats only the best rpg ever , but it stands proud in the rpg hall of fame.

By the pictures i have seen , ES4 will be a bomb , but as we all know , ro make a good rpg , the graphics is not the most impostant thing.

[Nox]

wonder if you'll still be able to fall through floors?

Nox