Bethesda Finally Confirms Shivering Isles News

Following rumours in September 2006, and further hints earlier in January, Bethesda Softworks has today confirmed that a new expansion to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, entitled The Shivering Isles, will be released for PC and Xbox 360 during the spring.

Featuring over thirty hours of additional gameplay set within a new plane of Oblivion, the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness, players will be able to explore the contrasting dungeons of Mania and Dementia, representing the two sides of Sheogorath's extreme personality. Over a dozen new creatures, along with new spells and items, will be added to the Oblivion experience.

"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.

"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."

Over three million units of Oblivion have been sold since the game launched in March 2006 on Xbox 360 and PC, with Bethesda planning to release a version on PlayStation3 in March. The PS3 version will form part of the launch line-up for Sony's next-generation console when it finally makes its European appearance, and will be published by Ubisoft. The previous expansion, Knights of the Nine, will be included in the retail version of Oblivion on PlayStation3, though Bethesda is yet to announce details of when Shivering Isles will be released on the platform.

PC gamers will be able to pick the Shivering Isles at retail, whilst Xbox 360 gamers will be able to download the expansion from Xbox Live Marketplace.