Bethesda Softworks this morning confirmed that Shivering Isles, the first actual expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, is coming to both the Xbox 360 and PC this spring. No pricing was announced for either version. Tt this time, the Xbox 360 version is only planned to be available via download, while the PC version will have an in-store retail version.
Shivering Isles, which was by far the worst-kept secret in recent Internet memory, is the first full-on expansion for the epic role-playing game. Previous downloadable content (horse armor, a few quests) amounted to bonus material. Shivering Isles will have more than 30 hours of new gameplay.
So what’s going to be contained in those 30 hours? Well, players will be able to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion: the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. And, since the game adds to the existing world of Oblivion rather than create a new world entirely, players can continue playing with their existing character. The option will also exist to create a new character just to explore the new content.
More from the press release: “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.
“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 [and] 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.”
