Dishonored, the "supernatural assassin action game" from Bethesda and Arkane Studios, now has a release date and some official box art.

The game will hit PCs and consoles on October 9 in North America and October 12 in Europe.

Thus far, we know that Dishonored is the story of Corvo, the Empress' legendary bodyguard, who finds himself falsely imprisoned for her murder and sets out to exact his revenge on those who set him up.

Dishonored is directed by Harvey Smith, of Thief and Deus Ex fame. For the best look at the game available right now, check out the debut trailer.

[bethblog.]

It's been 20 years since the release of id Software's landmark first-person shooter, Wolfenstein 3D, and iD's current parent company, Bethesda, is celebrating by making the game free to play on the web.

On one hand, this anniversary means we're all about a million years old. On the other hand, that's nothing that hunting down and killing a pixelated Adolf Hitler can't fix.

See also: Director's Commentary from Wolf3D creator John Carmack.

[heyuguys.]

Here's an early screenshot of Bethesda and Zenimax Online's upcoming MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online, from the same Game Informer article that revealed the game yesterday. (Embiggen.)

It's not a lot to go on, but what are your first impressions?

[vgn.]

Bethesda's Elder Scrolls Online trailer has arrived, telling us less than we already knew based on yesterday's announcement of the upcoming MMORPG ... but with a somber voiceover! Everyone knows an ancient evil can't rise without a somber voiceover.

The Elder Scrolls Online, developed by Bethesda and Zenimax Online Studios, is due out in 2013. No word on when we can expect the first gameplay footage.

[gameinformer.]

Bethesda is planning an MMO installment of the Elder Scrolls series, set 1000 years before the events of Skyrim, Game Informer reports.

The Elder Scrolls Online will be set in locations all around Tamriel -- including Elsewyr, Skyrim and Cyrodiil -- during the appearance of Daedric prince Molag Bal. It will reportedly have three playable factions and PvP combat.

"We have been working hard to create an online world in which players will be able to experience the epic Elder Scrolls universe with their friends, something fans have long said they wanted," said director Matt Firor in a press release.

The Elder Scrolls Online is due out in 2013 for PC and Mac.

[kotaku.]

Along with today's release of a free Kinect update for Skyrim, Bethesda has announced that the first DLC pack for the game, entitled Dawnguard, will be hitting the Xbox 360 this summer, with more information to come at E3.

In a tweet, the company clarified that Dawnguard will eventually reach other platforms, but will launch as an XBox 360 exclusive.

Incidentally, today is also the 10th anniversary of another Elder Scrolls title, Morrowind. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but time flies when you're playing RPGs.

[joystiq.]

Bethesda has announced that shooter sequel Prey 2, the sequel to 2006's Prey, will be delayed until next year due to a disappointing lack of progress in development.

"The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards. Prey 2 has shown great promise and we regret disappointing our fans. We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want," said the company on its official blog.

Rumor has it that the holdup in development happened because Human Head, the company that has been working on the game since November 2011, is off the project due to failed contract negotiations with Bethesda's parent, Zenimax.

The Human Head team expected to restart work once more favorable terms were reached, but Zenimax called their bluff and cut off communication, and here we are.

The good news is that Prey 2 is not cancelled, and now has a TBA 2013 release date.

[gamefreakz / g4tv.]