Skyrim PC to be patched earlier, more often

Bethesda Softworks has committed to plenty of postlaunch support for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, but the nature and frequency of that support will vary by platform.

In a post on the Bethesda Blog, the company detailed upcoming plans for Skyrim patches and acknowledged that PC players will see their game updated more frequently than their console counterparts.

"Overall, you should expect updates to be hitting the PC and Steam earlier and more often, as that's a process we control," the blog post explained. "Console updates will follow, as they must be certified and processed by those manufacturers."

PC players will also get access to a Creation Kit utility in January that will give users access to Bethesda's own development tools to make new Skyrim content. The program will feature Steam Workshop integration as well, allowing creators to upload their efforts to Steam or other mod sites for other players to enjoy.

In the near term, Bethesda is planning to release an incremental update for the game next week, fixing issues with the calculation of magic damage and dragons that fly in reverse. That patch will debut on the PC first, with Xbox 360 and PS3 versions following later in the week. The developer pledged to release a steady stream of updates for the game after the holiday season, rebalancing difficulty and addressing exploits as they emerge.

For more on the game, check out GameSpot's review of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.