November 17th is going to be a big day for Skyrim fans. For not only is the game going to be launched on the Nintendo Switch (the first time a Bethesda game has ever released on a Nintendo platform), but also, PlayStation VR users are going to be able to play the game in the virtual reality world. Of the two, this is arguably the bigger challenge that Bethesda faced, for while VR isn’t new, it’s still untested in regards to certain scales. And there is no bigger scale than Skyrim.
So you have to wonder, what was Bethesda’s mindset going into this VR project? Well, PlayStation Lifestyle talked with Bethesda Game Studios’ Lead Producer Andrew Scharf and got some answers on this.
For example, one of the biggest questions was about how people would play Skyrim VR for long periods of time when that’s not a trait of the technology. Scharf noted that the game could be played in many ways, including with the Move or Dualshock controllers. So you can play it standing up, sitting down, whatever you want.
That’s not to say there weren’t challenges. For though bringing the game’s world into the mix was fine, making use of the game’s mechanics and HUD screen was a challenge. They wanted to present it in a way that won’t overload players, yet they still need to show them everything so that they can get the full experience. It was the teamwork between them and Escalation Studios that helped make this happen.
Scharf also noted the excitement and thrill the team had when making the game. The chance to bring the realm of Skyrim into the VR setting was something truly special and unique. Even for those who have played the game for hundreds of hours, there’s no substitute for experiencing it in the VR setting according to him.
You’ll have to see for yourself if it works when the title arrives on Friday.
