Bethesda today confirmed the upcoming release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, the official expansion for the award-winning and three-million selling The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Shivering Isles will be released for the Xbox 360 this Spring. Details are presented in the exclusive cover story for Official Xbox Magazine’s February issue, which hits newsstands this week.
Shivering Isles features more than 30 hours of new gameplay and allows you to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion – the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Shivering Isles adds to the existing world of Oblivion so you can continue playing with your existing save game/character, or create an all new character just to explore the new content.
“We’re thrilled with the response that Oblivion has received to date and feel that Shivering Isles will offer a whole new and different experience to anyone who played and enjoyed Oblivion,” said Todd Howard, executive producer for The Elder Scrolls.
Within the Realm of Sheogorath, players can explore the two extreme sides of the god’s madness – the sublimely creative and the completely psychotic. Something is happening to the Shivering Isles and Sheogorath himself looks to you to be his champion and defend his realm and its inhabitants from destruction. Do you have the strength to survive his trials, tame a realm fraught with paranoia and despair, and wear the mantle of a God?
The Shivering Isles features a bizarre landscape split between the two sides – Mania and Dementia –filled with vast, twisting dungeons mirroring the roots of the trees they are buried within. You’ll encounter more than a dozen new creatures including hideous insects, Flesh Atronachs, skeletal Shambles, amphibious Grummites. Throughout your adventure, you will discover all new items, ingredients, spells, and more, and have the talented craftsmen of Crucible and Bliss forge new armor and weapons just for you.
“The enthusiastic response we’ve received to our downloadable content has been overwhelming, and we’re excited to bring Oblivion fans a full expansion,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks.
“The world we’ve created for Shivering Isles is unlike anything you’ve seen or played in Oblivion and we can’t wait for folks to play it.”
You can also read the official FAQ below, and check out the first three screenshots released of the expansion by clicking the image above.
When will Shivering Isles be available?
The worldwide release will be this Spring. We’ll announce the specific release date as we get closer to release.
Is it just for PC, or for Xbox 360 too?
Shivering Isles will be available for both Windows and Xbox 360. The Windows version will only be available in stores. The Xbox 360 version will be available for download via Xbox Live. A retail version is not possible for the 360 at this time. Both versions will be released simultaneously, worldwide.
Will localized versions be available?
Yes, it will be localized into French, German, Italian, and Spanish
Is this just another gate to Oblivion like the ones in the main quest?
No. Oblivion is made of lots of planes, one for each Daedric Prince. Oblivion featured the fiery realm of Mehrunes Dagon. The Shivering Isles is the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. It’s a place unlike anything you’ve seen in Oblivion.
How big is Shivering Isles?
Shivering Isles is about ¼ the size Cyrodiil, where Oblivion takes place.
How many hours of gameplay should I expect?
About 30 hours of new content, including an all new main quest -- in addition to miscellaneous quests you can complete, lots of landscape to explore, dungeons to discover, etc.
Do I have to create a new character to play Shivering Isles?
Shivering Isles works with your existing save game/character from Oblivion, or you can start a new game of Oblivion and create a new character just for Shivering Isles.
Can I continue my quests in Oblivion once I start Shivering Isles?
You can go back and forth between Oblivion and Shivering Isles with your character whenever you like.
