One of the most surprising announcements to come out of Bethesda’s E3 presentation this past summer was The Elder Scrolls: Blades. This first-person mobile role-playing game looks to bring a Skyrim-esque experience to Android and iOS devices. During the presentation, and during a recent showing of the game on Apple’s stage in September, the company stood behind a previously stated fall release. That has now changed according to a post on the official Elder Scrolls Twitter page.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades will release in Early 2019 for iOS and Android devices. We are incredibly excited for you to play Blades and you can still sign up for Early Access at https://t.co/uuFPob6YWJ.
— The Elder Scrolls (@ElderScrolls) November 29, 2018
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that the game has dodged talk of delays. Originally marked for September 1st on iPhones, it slipped to December 1 after that date had come and gone. At the time, the company claimed that this didn’t signify a delay, blaming placeholder dates for the confusion.
Elder Scrolls Blades has seen comparisons to Blizzard’s recent announcement of Diablo: Immortal, particularly in the way both presentations played out. While the games seem to have similar goals, any outrage over bringing the PC-centric Elder Scrolls series to a more casual platform was doused when Bethesda showed off logos for the next proper game in the franchise. Since Blizzard ended its presentation with just the mobile game, the hardcore audience revolted due to the perceived slight.
The Elder Scrolls Blades has you playing as a Blade, an elite soldier of the Empire. It features the same melee and magic systems as its console brethren and a full character customization system. You can sign up for Early Access to the phone game by visiting its official website while logged into a Bethesda.net account.