Today the Skyrim Creation Kit and high-res texture pack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is now available from Steam.
From the press release:
We’re pleased to announce that the Skyrim Creation Kit is now available. Along with the Creation Kit, we’ve also released the Skyrim High-Resolution Texture Pack as a free download. Both the Creation Kit and High-Resolution Texture Pack are available free via Steam.
With the Creation Kit’s release, fans can now upload, download, and install custom content through the Skyrim Workshop on Steam making sharing mods easier than ever before. You can access the Skyrim Workshop via mods.elderscrolls.com.
Experience The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as you’ve never seen it before with the Skyrim High-Resolution Texture Pack. Make sure your system requirements exceed Skyrim’s recommended specs before attempting to install, including Windows Vista or 7 operating system, a minimum of 4GB of system RAM, and a DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM and the latest drivers.
While the Elder Scrolls mod scene is nothing new, having this level of official support is. The Skyrim Creation Kit should open up the world of Tamriel to a whole slew of new modders by making modding tools and distribution much more accessible.
The high-resolution texture pack is Bethesda’s official answer to the fan-made high-res texture pack mods that have been made, and requires a slightly beefier system than the stock requirements of the game. One thing’s for sure: It’s gonna look a hell of a lot better than any console version.
It’ll be exciting to see some of the high-quality mods that come with the Skyrim Creation Kit. Some of the best mods out there can spin off into some pretty amazing high-quality games of their own.