Bethesda Softworks is definitely going to close out 2011 on a high note, with "RAGE" out in September and "The Edler Scrolls 5: Skyrim" following it in November. Today the publisher also confirmed the mid-year release dates on two other titles that they're currently working on: "Brink" and "Hunted: The Demon's Forge."
"Brink" hits stores on May 17th. The Splash Damage-developed game is an online-oriented, story-based first-person shooter for up to 8 players with cooperative and competitive elements. Players select from one of several classes and then team up to complete a variety of objectives, all of which rely in some fashion on the combined strengths of the group. It's supposed to be a pretty fast-paced game too, with parkour-like movement through the environments (think: "Mirror's Edge"). There are obvious connections to be made back to "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars," Splash Damage's solid MP-only spin-off that failed to capture a console audience.
Then there's "Hunted: The Demon's Forge," which arrives in North America on June 1 and in Europe on June 3. First revealed at last year's E3 trade show, "Hunted" is a fantasy action game which follows two warriors -- E'lara and Caddoc -- on their quest to find some sort of lost artifact. This one's another coop-focused game, with both warriors controllable by players online. I haven't seen much from this one, but inXile Entertainment, the developer, also did the most recent version of "The Bard's Tale," so I'm sold.
Bethesda also reconfirmed their two highly anticipated fall games' release dates. "RAGE" is out on September 13 in North America and September 16 in Europe. "Skyrim" gets the more gimmicky worldwide release date of November 11 (11/11/11!). It should be further noted that all four games are slated for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows platforms.