Bethesda indulged in a little fun at its E3 press conference and announced Skyrim as an audio adventure for Alexa. But Skyrim: Very Special Edition actually works – albeit currently only in America.
At its E3 press conference, Bethesda, along with US comedian Keegan Michael Key, unveiled a very special version of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim . Skyrim: Very Special Edition runs on Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa , narrating a typical Skyrim adventure and allowing the player to choose which path to take at certain predetermined plot points.
But Alexa isn’t the only game master in an audio-based pen-and-paper game . Smart refrigerators and pagers are also supported. With this, the publisher and developer alludes to the numerous ports Skyrim has received since its release. Almost every reasonably modern platform can now play the fantasy role-playing game – from PlayStation VR to the Nintendo Switch.
Really works, but not currently in Germany
Anyone who thinks this is all just a joke is mistaken. As our colleagues at PCGamer and Polygon have discovered, the Very Special Edition actually works on some smart devices. The app can be activated for free on Alexa, and you can also get started on iOS and Android devices.
Android users need to download the “Amazon Alexa” app from the Play Store. Owners of a phone or tablet with an iOS operating system simply need the standard Amazon Shopping app and turn on Alexa in the main menu. The adventure should begin with the command “Alexa, open Skyrim.”
At the moment, the Very Special Edition only seems to work in the US . For European players, Alexa doesn’t know what to do with the command and remains silent. As a video from a PC Gamer editor demonstrates, the AI assistant sometimes has trouble understanding instructions and offers only very rudimentary freedom of choice. It doesn’t seem to go much further than “either use melee, spell, or a dragon shout.”