Why You Should Watch The Leaked Intro *(Spoiler-Free Discussion)*

• Posted by Jay October 31, 2011 - 812 views

  In the following paragraphs I'm not arguing that the leaked 23 min Skyrim opening sequence is a good thing - no one should have released it without Bethesda/ Zenimax's permission.  For me this isn't a legal issue - it's about respect.  Goodness knows the marketing department has worked some real magic on us - I enjoy the pace in which they've operated, and I hope I haven't offended them by watching this "leaked" footage.  I only wish to convey to you, my fellow future Skyrim players, that watching this footage will not make your eyes bleed, or your face to melt, or for the game to suddenly appear in your mind to be a pile of horse turds.  In my opinion, I'm even MORE excited to play this game than I was before watching it! 

  So why doesn't this "leak" spoil the game?  Because: 

  The whole idea of a spoiler is that it in some way ruins the experience for the player.  The information that ultimately "spoils" the game is different for each person.  Objectively, ALL and any information about the game can potentially spoil surprises for some future player out there. 

  Bethesda chose not to show people the opening sequence of the game for internal reasons, not because it gives away too much plot.  Maybe they chose not to reveal it because it wasn't finished yet, or because they want to have full control over official releases - having control over their own media is not to keep you in the dark, it's mostly so that the entire team is on the same page, and who can deny that having control over your own product is a good thing?   

  They haven't shown the player wearing Daedric armor yet, either.  Was that some ploy to surprise the player with it?  No.  We know they'll have it.  Showing portions of the game that are too advanced isn't good marketing.  For example, why market a game as one where the character flies around in a jetpack if that doesn't happen until the end of the game?  They wouldn't, or at least shouldn't.  Bethesda is mostly only showing gameplay from early in the game, so that buyers of the game have a collective idea as to what they're buying.  For this reason I think it's kind of a slip to even reveal the dragons, because some people may think that they can just jump into the game and fight them, but instead it will take time in order to 'unlock' them.  Ultimately it's a good selling point to show them, and worth the risk.  

  Their decision to keep the beginning hidden certainly wasn't to "hide" the plot.  We already know that in the beginning we're being led to our execution, and that an even occurs which deposits us on a mountainside.  The small gap that is filled by the leaked footage tells us very little we don't already know about the direction of the game.  We already know about dragons, we've already seen them in action, and we all know what the beheading animation looks like.  The leaked footage shows us very, very little we didn't know about.   

  In fact, it's already been revealed the 3 hour demos we've been reading about are from a pre-alpha build - meaning that the team, at the point this build was prepared, focused on traversing a large world and taking in the sights, and was not indicative of the final build.  This leads me to believe that Bethesda simply wanted more time to work on the opening sequence before they showed it. 

  Todd Howard says the the demo occurs about 45 min into the game - the leaked footage is only 20 min, not including creating your character.  This means the "leak" is only half the story.  There's still some cool questions about exactly how your character ends up on that mountainside.  After watching the footage you can guess exactly how you get there (it's not hard), but there's still mystery - there's still reason to want to continue on.  The game is not spoiled by those 23 minutes.  At all, really.  And I'm very sensitive about such things.  Trust me, it's cool, you won't regret watching it.

  The "leaked" footage isn't as big a deal as everyone is making it out to be.  It's only a matter of perspective.  If you enjoyed Oblivion you'll still buy this game - the footage simply highlights how different (and alike) the game will be to past Bethesda games.   

  Look, I'm not against people not watching it - that's a personal decision - but open your eyes!  You're on a gaming website dedicated to a game you want to know very little about.  Does that make sense?  Not to me.  

  This is a place, to me, for people that simply love gaming, The Elder Scrolls, and escapism.  This is Paul's website - it's not owned by Zenimax, it's not owned by Bethesda.  If you want to be in a controlled environment then you should not be coming here - Bethesda has an entire forum/ environment designed to play by their rules, at http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/forum/13-the-elder-scrolls/.  I tell you this for your own peace of mind - not for some nefarious reason to get you away from TheSkyrimBlog!  I want people to come here and bask in the gaming culture, together - not to argue about who is giving away what information.  

  (edit: I removed the link from this post at Paul's request, you can find it on Kotaku's website for now - but you should hurry).