In a video posted online, a Skyrim fan has revealed their mod which adds a voiced protagonist. Skyrim, alongside the other Elder Scrolls titles, has never had a voiced protagonist before.
Skyrim was released in 2011, and remains one of the most-played games in the world. The dedication of the game's modding community has been a massive reason that Skyrim has been able to remain at the forefront of gaming culture. Mods available for the game range from the weird to the wonderful, with the creativity of the community seemingly never-ending. For example, one fan even recently added an undead pizzeria to Skyrim. Despite the continuing stream of mods for the game, the age of its engine seems to finally be restricting the scale of what can be created.
The video by YouTuber Mathiew May showcasing the mod is incredible, showing a female voiceover asking questions around Whiterun. The mod boasts over 7000 voice lines, and is voiced by ElevenLabs AI. Despite the AI voiceover, it sounds extremely natural compared to many other computer-generated voice mods. Although the video only shows off a female voice, there is a male voice pack included on the mod's page on Nexus Mods. The creator notes that the mod is still a work in progress with many of the game's lines not yet voiced. The mod author is planning to add support for other creators to make their own voice packs, which will take this mod to the next level once completed. It's possible that this support could be extended to other mods like Skyblivion too.
The debate about a voiced protagonist has rumbled on around Bethesda's games. Fallout 4's voiced protagonist received mixed reviews, with many fans feeling it restricted role-playing potential. Some fans even went as far as to mod the voice-over out of Fallout 4. At least with Skyrim, players have a choice in whether they use the mod or not. With the drama surrounding Fallout 4, Bethesda has abandoned the voiced protagonist for Starfield. With the capabilities of AI voices improving every day, it's very possible that fans will mod a voice into Starfield, like they have Skyrim.
With the upcoming release of Starfield, it is presumed that Bethesda is finally ready to move into full production of The Elder Scrolls 6. Details of the game are almost non-existent, despite it being confirmed almost five years ago. Fans continue to speculate on what the game will feature, including what races from The Elder Scrolls franchise will be playable in The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Nexus Mods