Bethesda Files 'Hearthfire' Trademarks for Skyrim DLC

Bethesda has filed a trademark for a new Skyrim DLC, titled 'Hearthfire', along with the description "Computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles; downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices." This is consistent with a supposed 'leak' from Redditor derptemp6698 who correctly leaked details of some of Mass Effect 3 DLCs. The description he gave for the pack was as follows:


"Hearthfire™, the next official game-add on for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim®, has arrived. For the first time in the Elder Scrolls universe, purchase land and build your own home from the ground up - from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with armory, alchemy laboratory, trophy room, and more! With Hearthfire, the possibilities of what you can build are endless."

Dovahkindling. There's probably more to that joke but it's 12:53 am, give me a break (Source)

For me personally, this sounds a lot more appealing than Dawnguard, though it could be of a much smaller scale which is disappointing. If it's anything like the Real Time Settler mods for the Fallout games then I'd be ecstatic.

VentureBeat however suggests this possibility:

"According to The Elder Scrolls lore, the third of that month [Hearthfire] is Tales and Tallows, an unofficial holiday that celebrates the dark magic of necromancy. Necromancers primarily deal in reanimating the dead. This has led some to speculate that Hearthfire could be Skyrim’s version of Undead Nightmare, which brought zombies into wild-west simulator Red Dead Redemption."



This is either a zombie horde that could be coming to Skyrim, or the line at a Skyrim launch event, not sure which (Source)

Which does nothing to dispel the idea that the industry is too obsessed with zombie games and modes. We'll just have to wait and see what happens!