In the next episode of The Bethesda Podcast, we’ll be talking about the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop with our friends at Valve.

If you have something you’d like to ask about the Creation Kit and Workshop, post in the comment section or in our official forums, and your question might make it on the podcast.

Here’s a look at some notable links from around the web…

• A trip to the Skyrim Reddit page revealed an amazing Skyrim tribute to Star Wars. See the full-res image here
• Both GameFront and UGO share their favorite Skyrim Workshop mods.
• GameRevolution shares photos from Reddit user Freezing0verHell’s trip to the Mojave Wasteland. Check here to see some of the real world locations that made it into New Vegas.
• Read Game Informer’s DICE interview with Todd Howard.
• NVIDIA shares details on their new drivers that bring a significant performance boost to Skyrim.

Today on Steam we’ve uploaded a new Beta Update (1.4.26) highlighted by some tweaks modders have requested for the Skyrim Workshop.

Reminder: This patch is still in development. Apply the update at your own risk and only if you are affected by issues outlines below.

UPDATE 1.4.26

LAUNCHER

• Fixed issue with downloading mods when you are subscribed to more than 50 mods
• Fixed crash when loading a subscribed mod that has been removed from Workshop by the author
• Mod load order functionality

BUG FIXES (PC only)

• Fixed occasional crashes when loading a save that relies on plugins/master files that no longer exist
• Fixed issue where controls would become unresponsive while charging an enchanted weapon
• Fixed issue where controls would occasionally become unresponsive while switching from third to first person while using the Arcane Enchanter
• Fixed issue where controls would become unresponsive if activating a crafting station with autorun active
• Fixed issue where keyboard would fail if Rename Item was selected before choosing the number of charges, while using Arcane Enchanter
• Fixed several issues with remapping buttons while using an Xbox 360 controller
• Fixed issue where pressing Escape button after fast traveling but before the loading would cause certain menus to stop working properly

If you opt into the Beta, be sure to back up your saved games or simply be careful not to overwrite your existing saves. If you decide to opt out of the beta program, your old saves will still work with the current release of Skyrim (v 1.4).

As a reminder, to get the beta, you need to do the following:

1. Log into Steam
2. Click on Steam in the upper menu
3. Select Settings
4. Under the Account tab, go to the Beta Participation section and select Change.
5. A drop down menu will appear. Select Skyrim Beta.
6. Select OK.
7. Steam will now restart. After Steam restarts, Skyrim will be updated to the Beta version currently available.

If you decide you don’t want to run the Beta anymore, redo steps 1 – 4. At the drop down, select NONE – Opt out of all beta programs. Let Steam restart, and Skyrim will automatically update itself back to the latest released version.

To provide feedback on the beta update, use our beta forum.

Need help exploring Skyrim’s massive world? Prima, makers of Skyrim’s Official Game Guide, has released a new iPhone/iPad app to help. You can download the app for free and purchase additional information through in-app purchases.

Features of the map include:

• Official world map of Skyrim and all 9 hold capital cities for (free)
• Over 160 interior maps, 350 primary locations, 200 secondary locations and over 1,000 points of interest can be unlocked through in-app purchases
• Toggle points of interest on or off and zoom in on the map as far as 3200%
• Add your own custom points of interest by dropping a pin anywhere on the map
• Fully integrated search function
• Screenshots of all 9 hold capital cities as well as primary and secondary locations
• Easily keep track of what you’ve discovered along the way

Download the App

Update: Received news from Prima that the guide is only available in the US.

After eleven intense episodes, we’ve now completed our Creation Kit video tutorial series. The final episode is embedded above, but you can find all the rest at the Bethesda YouTube playlist.

Before you move on in your modding career, don’t forget to bookmark CreationKit.com, our primary repository for modding how-tos and technical reference guides.

On April 3rd, BGS fans can pick up the award-winning classics, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3, in a new double pack combo. Available in North America, the Double Pack will be available on Xbox 360 and PC for $29.99 and $19.99, respectively.

I was going to put up Double Mint-inspired lyrics to get you excited, but after seeing this video on Kotaku, I thought you’d enjoy it more….

A few news items to share from around the web.

A group of teenagers in Washington state are participating in a 60-hour Fallout 3 marathon this weekend in an effort to raise money for Child’s Play. Their goal is to reach $2,000, and to help out, we’ve sent them some cool Fallout 3 prizes — including (2) limited Fallout 3 bobbleheads signed by Todd Howard. Visit the Fallout 3 Marathon site for more information.

Across the pond, nominees for the 2012 BAFTA Video Game Awards have been announced. Skyrim has received nominations in categories for Best Game, Artistic Achievement, Design, Original Music, and Story. Additionally, as announced last week, you can vote for Skyrim in the Game Award of 2011 Category.

And finally… just when you thought you’d see everything, here comes Fus Ro Dog!

Last week our dear friend and colleague, Adam Adamowicz, passed away. Adam touched the lives of everyone that knew him, and his spirit will live on in the games we create.

This week we put up a page so that everyone — family, friends and fans alike — can visit and remember him. The page includes memories and reflections from the team, plus a comprehensive collection of his work on Oblivion DLC, Fallout 3, and Skyrim. And as the introduction notes, you haven’t seen the last of his work.

We also encourage you to “squeeze the nun for service“ by donating to the American Cancer Society.

With Adam’s passing, I’ve spent some time going back and looking at some of the stuff we’ve done with him — here on the blog, on The Bethesda Podcast, and elsewhere.

Fallout Official Site — Before Fallout 3 launched, we did several developer diaries. In Adam’s diary, he shared details on how his inspirations for the game’s vault suit, creatures, weapons, and more.

The Bethesda Podcast – A few weeks before Skyrim’s launch, Nick and I did a podcast interview with Adam and his longtime friend, concept artist Ray Lederer. No one at the office knew Adam better than Ray, and you can read his reflections on his personal blog.

Bethesda Blog – Adam did an early Inside the Vault interviews for Fallout 3. Even today, it’s a hilarious read. After I posted it, he emailed me and asked me to add this picture. I thought he was nuts, but I’m happy to add it again.

Rest in peace, Adam.

Just a week ago we launched the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop, and in a press release this morning, we can reveal that the Workshop has had more than 2 million downloads!!

On behalf of everyone at Bethesda, thank you for your continued support. You’re all playing a huge part of the game’s continued success and we can’t wait to share what else we’re working on.

Read the full release below…

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM® WORKSHOP LAUNCHES WITH OVER 2 MILLION MODS DOWNLOADED

WORLDWIDE DEMAND CONTINUES FOR THE SECOND HIGHEST GROSSING TITLE OF 2011

NEW HONORS FOR SKYRIM AS GAME IS NAMED ‘GAME OF THE YEAR’ 
AT 2012 INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

February 14, 2012 (Rockville, MD) – ZeniMax® Media Inc. today announced that the Creation Kit™, a free tool that allows PC players to create their own custom content for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, has been enthusiastically received by PC gamers who have been uploading, downloading, and installing custom content through the Skyrim Workshop on Steam. Within a week of the release of the Creation Kit, gamers have downloaded more than 2 million mods via the Skyrim Workshop. More than 2,500 mods have been published by the gaming community, all of which are available for free.

Worldwide revenues generated by Skyrim have placed it among the industry’s most successful titles, and demand for the title shows no signs of slowing. Measured by revenue, Skyrim was the second best selling game of 2011, and 2012 sales remain strong, with continuing digital downloads and large shipments of units to retail. Within the first month following its release in November, Bethesda Softworks® reported it had shipped over 10 million units of Skyrim across all platforms, representing approximately $650 million in retail sales, and those results have since increased substantially.

Data from Steam, the digital download service, reveal that the average number of hours that a gamer plays Skyrim exceeds 75 hours, underscoring fan devotion to the game. The PC version of Skyrim in North America outsold all other PC games by a factor of over three to one in the month of its release, and Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam’s history.

Console versions of Skyrim reveal equally strong fan demand. The Xbox 360 version of Skyrim outsold all Xbox 360 exclusive titles in 2011 in North America, and the PS3 version of Skyrim outsold all PS3 exclusive titles on that platform.  These strong commercial results match the high scores and widespread praise of critics that the game has received.

The critically-acclaimed title was most recently honored with the ‘Game of the Year’ award at the 15^th Annual 2012 Interactive Achievement Awards (IAA) held at the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit. Skyrim also received top honors  in the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering’, ‘Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction’, ‘Role-Playing Game of the Year’, and ‘Outstanding Achievement in Story’ categories. The IAA’s focus is on peer-based voting and its awards are considered to be among the highest honors of recognition in the interactive entertainment industry.

Skyrim had already garnered dozens of ‘Game of the Year’ awards from major outlets worldwide, including winning the top honor of ‘Game of the Year’ at the 2011 Video Game Awards which are voted on by a panel of editors from the industry’s most respected magazines and websites.  To date, Skyrim has received over 200 perfect review scores worldwide, earning the highest praise from some of the industry’s most influential critics including: Wall Street Journal, USA Today, G4TV, The New York Times, GameSpy, Wired, Eurogamer, Destructoid, GamePro, Official Xbox Magazine, Joystiq, The Guardian, Famitsu and GamesRadar. G4TV describes Skyrim as “one of the greatest games ever” and Eurogamer was one of many outlets to call it a “masterpiece.”

Skyrim, available for the Xbox 360® video game entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and PC, is the third consecutive game developed by the team at Bethesda Game Studios® to earn ‘Game of the Year’ honors.  Bethesda Game Studios, which was named ‘Studio of the Year’ at the 2011 Video Game Awards, also created the 2006 ‘Game of the Year’,

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, and the 2008 ‘Game of the Year’, Fallout® 3.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been rated M for Mature by ESRB.

For more information on Skyrim visit http://www.elderscrolls.com.

Watch the sixth episode of our Creation Kit tutorial series as level designer Daryl Brigner demonstrates how to place enemy actors in the world and design their patrols.

Missed an earlier episode? Visit our BGS YouTube Channel and learn more.

Episode 1: Introduction to the Kit
Episode 2: Basic Layout
Episode 3: Basic Layout II
Episode 4: Clutter
Episode 5: Navmesh
Episode 6: Basic Encounters
Episode 7: Traps

Spending more time downloading mods than making them? The team at Valve has added new Workshop features, including a search function. If there’s more features you’d like to see, share your feedback in our Creation Kit forums, Valve’s dedicated Workshop forums, or in the comments below.