PC Skyrim uses Steamworks
Bethesda evidently a fan.
The PC version of Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim will integrate Steamworks, Bethesda has confirmed.
The news lands days after Bethesda confirmed Steamworks for Rage on PC.
This indicates a clear direction for future Bethesda PC games.
Steamworks is a set of tools that contains Steam's useful bits and bobs: things like authentication, multiplayer, cloud saving and so on. And by using Steamworks, a game opts to include these mechanics at a fundamental development level, i.e. the visible presence of Steam can't then be removed.
This particularly frustrates rival digital distributors. In the past, services like Impulse (now owned by GameStop), Direct2Drive (now owned by GameFly) and Gamersgate chose to boycott Steamworks games. The trio even opted not to sell huge hit Modern Warfare 2.
Skyrim is on display at German games show Gamescom this week. It's also one of the games the Eurogamer Network (that includes all of our partner sites) has nominated as Game of the Show, Gamescom 2011.
Skyrim was crowned as Eurogamer's Game of the Show, E3 2011 back in June.