In a slightly perplexing situation, Bethesda has stated that The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition would not be available for free on Xbox Game Pass, as some had thought. With the release of the Skyrim Anniversary Edition only a week away, Bethesda has finally revealed some details on pricing and upgrading.
The Anniversary Edition appears to have “every piece of Creation Club content published at the time of the Anniversary Edition’s debut, including additional quests, armor, and gameplay modes,” in addition to The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition with its next-gen framerate and resolution. Players will have to pay $19.99 to upgrade from the Special Edition to the Anniversary Edition, while the Anniversary Edition itself will set them back $49.99.
On November 11, Bethesda is throwing a bone to gamers by offering a free Xbox Series X/S upgrade for Skyrim Special Edition, which will not require the new Anniversary version of the game. Additionally, on November 11, owners of the Special Edition will receive free Creation Club content in the form of the debut of Survival Mode and Fishing.
Some may dismiss this as a slight to the goodwill Xbox, and by extension Bethesda, have built up with gamers since their merger earlier this year, given that not only have Xbox exclusives been steadily arriving day-and-date on Game Pass, but the service also includes the majority of Bethesda’s back catalog.
With the same-day updates to Special Edition, Bethesda appears to be attempting to keep gamers happy by at least providing some of the improvements that the Skyrim Anniversary Edition receives. Even still, when fans learn that all new Bethesda titles will be available on Xbox Games Pass from day one, it’s difficult not to assume that this will include an Anniversary Edition.
At the end of the day, Skyrim Anniversary Edition is the way to go for gamers who want the full Skyrim experience or who have never played the game before. If not, and they’re just searching for an excuse to kill some dragons, the Special Edition’s tiny enhancements and modifications should satisfy.
