Next Oblivion add-on priced

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Apr 7, 2006 2:35 pm PT

The Orrery to include new quest and new powers for less than the cost of an armored steed; new patches also on the way.

After the first content download for Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion created a stir by charging Xbox 360 players $2.50 and PC players $1.99 to armor their horses, it appears the developer is exploring new approaches for its future expansions.

Bethesda is now saying that the next two downloads, The Wizard's Tower and The Orrery, will include more bang for less buck. A posting on the official Elder Scrolls forums details new features for the two expansions, as well as a pricing structure and expected release date for The Orrery. According to the posting, the expansion should be out next week, and will sell for $1.89 to PC owners and 150 Marketplace points (about $1.88) to Xbox 360 owners.

"The Horse Armor Pack has been very popular, and exceeded what we thought it would sell," the posting reads. "Despite that, we're still trying to find the right spot, so we're putting a much larger plug-in out for less than the last one and we'll see what happens."

The Orrery will feature a new quest with original dialogue, journals, and rewards, access to the eponymous dwarven machine in the Imperial City's Arcane University, and new character powers based on the phases of the moon.

The Wizard's Tower will be a new property available to players, complete with upgradeable furniture and facilities. Players who set up shop in the Tower will be able to grow herbs, make spells, summon atronachs, and perform other magic-oriented tasks. No release date for the Wizard's Tower add-on has been announced yet.

Bethesda is also working on a pair of patches for the game. The first one will address a number of known issues in the game and debut on the PC in beta form before being cleared for both the PC and Xbox 360. After that, Bethesda will release a follow-up patch to clear up localization issues with the European version of the game.

145 Comments

  • alpha_company

    Posted May 16, 2006 5:11 am PT

    expansivooooo!!

  • snoopdog3407

    Posted Apr 18, 2006 12:45 pm PT

    I had oblivion for about 2 mins, but then had to return it.
    i will get it again hopfully longer next time.
    IMO all plug ins should cost 1.50, i could buy a coke for a 1.50.
    maybe 2.00 for really large plug ins, but no more than that

  • Thomas_Trance

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 12:36 pm PT

    UmbrellaMaster,

    I absolutely agree that they should get patches out before anything else, unless they have enough people to be able to do both at the same time without cutting down on efficiency.

    I was rather just stating my opinion in regards to paid add-ons.

  • UmbrellaMaster

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 9:22 am PT

    Thomas - I find it interesting Beth released an addon that costs money BEFORE releasing a patch to fix the bugs. Those of you that havent experienced any can say, "Oh whatever who cares" all you want, but there are a lot of us out there experiencing them. For instance, my game crashes about every 15 minutes. It's slightly jarring to be totally into a battle with a Lich and suddenly get a CTD. No other games currently released have done this to me.

    The only reason I'm pissed is because that I'd rather they address the bugs before making us pay more for the game.

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 8:58 am PT

    ! i need get oblivion and yes im getting horse armor i cant let my horse die *crys*

  • Thomas_Trance

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 6:09 am PT

    You should really consider this as something similar to MMORPG's way of doing business, with WoW being the best example. You pay a monthly fee to play those games, and in return you get regular updates to the game that includes new zones, items and quests.

    I'm really surprised people like starwarsfreak is so upset about the fact Bethesda wants to earn money from time spent developing and expanding a product. It's all fair in my opinion - unless you feel unsatisfied with the base product?

    Demanding free content from Bethesda on a regular basis is like going to a car dealer and demand the latest accessory installed for free, just because the manufacturer released one and you want it. You would have bought the original car in the first place anyway - just as you did the game.

    Also, of course Bethesda has/had a plan for future releases in this fashion - its obviously part of their business plan. But to whine about that now is like saying you're not satisfied with the game, which in my opinion has more to offer in its stand-alone version then any other game ever to hit the RPG market.

    Get real - we live in a commercial world and that wont change anytime soon.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 4:59 am PT

    just wait until the GOTY edition if you want all the extras at once.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Apr 10, 2006 6:16 am PT

    if people are stupid/selfish enough to purchase SUV's. I am pretty sure they are more then willing to spend 2.50 on bunch of 1's and 0's (aka horse armor)

  • geckosprouch

    Posted Apr 10, 2006 5:40 am PT

    The patches will be nice to clear up the bugs and personally, I'd like to get into the Orerry to see what happens. I'm all for new quests as well! This is an awesome idea!

  • tr00pa_26

    Posted Apr 10, 2006 4:54 am PT

    "The Wizard's Tower will be a new property available to players, complete with upgradeable furniture and facilities. Players who set up shop in the Tower will be able to grow herbs, make spells, summon atronachs, and perform other magic-oriented tasks"

    yeah well i guess its the generation of paying for virtual stuff...
    that somehow make lil stupid boy and girls dumb enuff to pay for the thing...
    well it make them happy inside dont they! heya the horse got to live aye..
    but i like argo of the shadow of the collosus his better than that oblivion horse...
    i hope people will donate that 2.99 to some poor country that cant even get clean water...

  • Firosen

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 10:58 pm PT

    Good:
    -New content constantly being released by the developer without having to wait several months for expansions.
    -Seemingly fair price for a few hours' worth of gaming.
    -Episodic content or weekly "expansions" could, in the long run, help to lower developement costs for next-gen games.

    Bad:
    -In the end, one might end up spending a lot more on a few smaller quests and add-ons than they would on a traditional expansion pack.
    -Not everyone is entirely comfortable with online sales transactions (including myself, to some degree).
    -Could very well take focus off of the independent mod and add-on scene by exposing "mainstream" gamers to "superior" (I use that term loosely) content.

    Meh. There's good and bad points. Just have to level out the rewards and consequences... Just as long as they don't charge $2 for something like horse armour, which really should have been included in the game anyways (or sold at a cheaper price... 50 cents or so seems fair).

  • denawayne

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 10:24 pm PT

    All of these people complaining makes me sick. First, everybody was stoked that there will be this "marketplace". Then when a company decides to put something on there, no matter what it is, if it has a price, then you have people upset. It's not like MS is forcing you to buy this stuff. I wouldn't care if they released some flowery, perfume scented toilet paper to wipe my arse with in the game, I just wouldn't buy it. I know for damn sure that I wouldn't be on this forum complaining about it. I hate people that always want something for free. If you want something for free, then go get in line for food stamps. Cause if you can't afford the add-ons, then what the hell did you pay $400 for a system that also charges $10 more for the games? I have Oblivion and think it's one of the best games ever. Am I gonna buy the horse armor? Not as of yet. But I do applaud Bethesda for making some kind of extra content. I say keep it coming, cause I know at some time there will be something I'll purchase. I've been gaming since 1980 and I have to say that right now the 360 is the most enjoyable system ever. NES is a close second. Now, only if we can get those classic NES titles on the Marketplace. Oh, wait, you might have to pay for them. Nevermind.

  • choas_era

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 3:55 pm PT

    I am so pleased to hear that this is actually happenning cause that game rocks, ..... I am 60 hrs into the game, and haven't even scratched the surface, litterally going out and doing everything I can, but this news is good, keep bringging the extras like this, and we got some of the best gaming online service that a good game could have. I just want to know what patch there sending out.

  • dyoma

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 3:15 pm PT

    This is not cool chargich for plug-in nonsense

  • MastrCake

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 1:30 pm PT

    If your head works like mine, 200 points sounds a lot better than $2.50 for horse armor. In fact, I like it. I just got attacked by two wolves today (360 version) and my horse took hardly any damage! I didn't even notice any damage to my horse.

    I will admit, 200 points is a splurge for horse armor, but I am glad that Bethesda is rethinking their pricing strategy.

  • xXAdventChildXx

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 11:23 am PT

    yay rock on!

  • skylinedude05

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 9:35 am PT

    cool

  • jonfigs

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 8:45 am PT

    Sounds good. Keep it coming!

  • jsloane

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 8:08 am PT

    wish this was a real expansion announcement...too soon? I hope theey do full expansions and dont keep giving us these micro ones...and i refuse to buy the horse armor for S2.50 its just pointless

  • guthwulf_de

    Posted Apr 9, 2006 4:03 am PT

    well, that seems like an upgrade worth buying.

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