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Everyone thought 'Skyrim' coming to Amazon's Alexa was a joke - but you can actually download the game for your Echo

Jun 11, 2018, 20:41 IST

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Bethesda Softworks

  • Bethesda teased what initially looked like a comedic spoof of an Amazon Echo port for "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."
  • Fans believed that the app, named "Skyrim: Very Special Edition," was a satirical goof of the numerous remasters and ports of the immensely popular game.
  • Following the announcement, Bethesda surprised everyone and actually rolled out the app on the Amazon App store.

Amazon's Alexa just added another feature to its repertoire: dungeon-master.

During its E3 showcase on Sunday, Bethesda introduced a video of what appeared to be a comedic spoof for "Skyrim: Very Special Edition" - an Alexa "port" for its immensely popular game, "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."

"Now, Skyrim looks to the future for its ultimate version," the announcer said in the video.

The video clip starts off with comedian Keegan-Michael Key casually sitting on a couch, pondering over which device to play by gesturing toward console controllers and a TV remote. But instead of any of those options, he gives a voice command to his Amazon Echo: "Alexa, play Skyrim."

Alexa then responds, "You're level 57 and see a tall snowy mountain."

Bethesda Softworks

Some "Skyrim" fans took the video as a joke and believed it was a not-so-subtle nod to Bethesda's numerous remasters of the nearly seven-year-old game, all of which have made their way to current generation consoles, including the Nintendo Switch. Adding to the satirical theme, the video also featured Skyrim "ports" to an Etch-a-Sketch, pager, and a smart fridge, so it was understandable that people didn't think "Skyrim: Very Special Edition" was happening. 

But after the announcement, it looks like Bethesda had the last laugh.

"Bethesda Game Studios is proud to present Skyrim... for Alexa," the product page on Amazon says. "Yes, that's right, the version of Skyrim you never saw coming has finally arrived on the platform you never asked for."

Bethesda Softworks

"For the very first time ever, take your rightful place as the Dragonborn of legend (again) and explore Skyrim using the power of your own voice...your Thu'um!"

Fans have since uploaded videos of them playing "Skyrim: Very Special Edition." The gameplay appears to hearken back to text-based MUD and table-top role-playing games, with Alexa serving as the dungeon-master with prompts like "a mudcrab scuttles towards you," to which the player responds by giving voice commands like "use shout."

You can play the app by tapping Alexa's circular icon on any Amazon-installed device and saying "Alexa, open Skyrim." You can also go to the product page and enable it on your Alexa devices.

Upon starting, the app warns that it may contain mature content not suitable for all audiences.

Take a look at the trailer for "Skyrim: Very Special Edition:"

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