Bethesda Announces 'Fallout 4' VR, 'Dishonored 2' and 'Prey' At E3 Conference

Bethesda ended the first day of E3 2016 with a massive conference, which announced many titles gamers have been looking forward to for quite some time. While a few of their main announcements involved the titles we expected, like The Elder Scrolls Online, Dishonored 2 and the highly anticipated Skyrim Remastered. Bethesda, specifically, delivered some really surprising and extremely meaningful projects to their lineup.

Here’s the best from Bethesda E3:

Fallout, Fallout, Fallout

About halfway into the show, Todd Howard joined via video to update Bethesda fans about the projects the company has been working on since the release of Fallout 4 last fall. Among them was the obvious announcement of more Fallout 4 DLC, which includes two more wasteland workshop add ons alongside a new story DLC called Nuka World. While the two wasteland workshop addons are certainly disappointing (namely due to the fact that one of them is currently a mod), Nuka World certainly looked interesting due to the theme park-like focus of the DLC we saw in the trailer.

The team also discussed a massive update to Fallout Shelter which will allow players to take on quests in the game and explore locations in the wasteland with teams of dwellers come this July. They announced that Fallout Shelter would be coming to PC too, which is a welcome change of pace for people who don’t tend to stick with mobile gaming.

Skyrim’s Remaster

Skyrim’s Special Edition honestly isn’t much of a surprise, but it’s a welcome addition to the Bethesda lineup for this fall. During the conference Todd Howard announced that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was being remastered with new lighting systems, textures and updated features for both Xbox One and PS4. The new version also includes a completely integrated mod management system just like the one they released for Fallout 4, and is coming on October 28.

Prey

As we anticipated, Bethesda revealed the new title from the Arkane Studios team here in the United States to be Prey. Built off an old property that never saw the light of day, Prey 2 is the new title from Arkane, set in the futuristic world of 2032 where players take control of Morgen.

Unfortunately, that’s about all we know, as little detail was given about the story or premise of the game during the conference. Based on the trailer though, Prey seems to be more psychological, with a heavy focus on the type of horror you might find in Dead Space. I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed that it didnt feature my favorite bounty hunter from 2012’s Prey 2 trailer – but it’s an exciting idea nonetheless.

Bethesda VR

During the conference, Bethesda confirmed their involvement with the world of virtual reality – specifically regarding DOOM and Fallout. While DOOM’s VR experience only featured a quick tour of hell, they surprised us all with the announcement of Fallout 4 going completely VR, come 2017, on the HTC Vive platform. According to Pete Hines, this experience will encompass the entire game, allowing players to experience the entire wasteland of Fallout 4 in virtual reality. It’s a bold move for Todd Howard and his team to work toward a project this big, but it’s one that really stands out when so many other virtual reality experiences remain limited in scope.

Dishonored 2

Bethesda ended the show by showing off a metric ton of gameplay and engine footage from Dishonored 2, courtesy of Arkane Studios. Build in a brand new game engine designed specifically for the game called Void, Dishonored 2 follows Empress Emily Kaldwin and Corvo Attano as they seek to uncover a conspiracy which caused them to lose the throne. Arkane confirmed that players will be able to play as either Emily or Corvo – with each having their own set of dialogue, missions and unique set of abilities to take advantage of in the game world. Not only does this add to the replayability of Dishonored 2 compared to its predecessor, but it helps to flesh out a (hopefully) complex narrative from a few different perspectives as the player sees fit.

They also announced that Dishonored 2 will have a collector’s edition in limited quantities, which includes a digital copy of Dishonored: Definitive Edition and a full replica of Corvo’s mask from the game.