Bethesda Delays Elder Scrolls Online Reveal To Get Out Of The Way Of Presidential Inauguration

The US Capitol was attacked and overrun by a right-wing and neo-confederate mob last week, and according to the FBI, groups loyal to President Trump are threatening to try to do it again during next week’s inauguration where President-Elect Joe Biden will be sworn in. Nerves are frayed, people are on edge, and so at least one video game company is getting its next marketing event the hell out of the way of whatever might happen next Wednesday.

“Due to Inauguration Day in the United States falling on Jan. 20, we are moving our Global Reveal Event for Gates of Oblivion from Thursday, Jan. 21 to Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 5PM EST/10PM GMT,” Bethesda announced on Twitter yesterday. Elaborating in a follow-up tweet responding to a fan, the company said that safety was one of the concerns. “Given recent events, we are opting to play it safe,” Bethesda wrote. “We have players all over the world, but the majority of our employees live and work near the capital.”

Gates of Oblivion is Elder Scrolls Online’s big 2021 expansion. Teased at last year’s Game Awards show, it seems poised to add the main antagonist from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and who knows what else from Bethesda’s 2006 open world RPG, to its current, ongoing MMORPG. That original teaser had January 21, 2021 as the date for when players would find out precisely what the expansion would include.

Given recent events, that’s clearly poor timing, especially when you consider that the Gates of Oblivion are portals to demonic dimensions, and basically Elder Scrolls parlance for the various circles of hell. Another great year off to another great start in the good old US-of-A.