A SKYRIM DOCUMENTARY | You're Finally Awake: Nine Developers Recount the Making of Skyrim

When i was the tender age of 13, my little brother yelled "maya! Come and look at this!" From the livingroom. He pointed to the ants on the stump in riverwood. And we both looked at them amazed and mystified that in this whole giant land of tameriel, there are details like such that make the world feel alive.

I always loved the Giants design. You made them look like a misunderstood race and society, not mindless monsters. Loved learning more about the development!

I cannot believe youtube hasn't recommended this video to me sooner. This has been the most enjoyable hour of content I have watched in a long time. Thank you Jonah

My wife and I had a Skyrim themed wedding. Honey nut treats, sweet rolls, our topper was Alduin and The Last Unicorn. It was super dope.

Hey all, I do not know if you will see it, but I wanna tell my story with Skyrim. I was 11 when Skyrim released. Growing up in a middle of economic and political turmoil back in my country, I felt lost. Every day news broadcast seemed like something out of Fallout universe, to the point when parents forbid their children to simply watch the news. Unfortunately, I was not able to play Skyrim at release, could not afford the game or the PC to play Skyrim. I still remember how my friends and I would run to computer clubs and watch random strangers play Skyrim. Some would get mad at us for staring and being a little annoying, some would even let us play for a couple of minutes. This was our past time after school for the entire year. We were simply fascinated, but still could not reach our passion. Fast-forward two years to my 13th birthday. I have been great at school and my parents were proud of me. So I get a PC for that birthday as a reward. My first ever. It was old and outdated, but I couldn’t even dream about having one. Most importantly, my older cousin has brought me an additional gift. A USB drive with pirated version of Skyrim (I am sorry, it was the only way). I could finally play the game. It ran at 20 fps and will some technical issues, however, it was way more than I thought you be possible. I played for thousands of hours. It was my only escape as the situation in my country has only gotten worse. The game was my own universe. It closely mirrored my real life situation. Skyrim is a harsh land with proud, strong people. It is in political crisis and on a verge of economic collapse. The parallel was clear to me. Skyrim pretty much was my country to me, but with one key difference. I could change things. In the game, I could help people and improve the wellbeing of those around me. I could resolve political struggles and I could bring peace to people of Skyrim. Something I terribly desired in real life. So I will get to the main point. Dwemer. They changed my life. Literally. I was always fascinated by their culture and technological prowess. I wanted to be like them. How badly did I want that? How exactly did they change my life? I am set to graduate from university here in United States. Upon graduation, I will officially become an aerospace engineer. I am going to be part of Dwemer. Siting now, replaying Skyrim on my new PC, brings tears to my eyes. I remember all those times previously and how much has changed since that fateful day ten years ago, I can only say “Thank you”. I hope that Skyrim has been as fulfilling for the developers, as it was for the players. P.S. I am deeply saddened that Adam has not witnessed what Skyrim has become. It is not just a commercial success, but a classic, a benchmark for all gaming and a eternal favorite. We are forever True Sons and Daughters of Skyrim.

I spent nearly 5 years in jail and prison, and Skyrim was the first game I played when I got out. My first open world game, my first RPG. I played lots of Half Life and Doom and Quake back in the day, but I got too deep into addiction and stopped playing games. Getting out and immersing myself in Skyrim was a small part of how I got back used to living a normal drug free life.

Skyrim was groundbreaking in 2011, and most of us will NEVER forget the amazingly positive impact the game has had on our lives. The game came out when I was 23. I’m 34 now, and decided to pick it back up to play the anniversary edition.

I had no idea the development team was so small for skyrim. This was such a fun opportunity for us to meet some of the people that shaped a game that so significantly impacted so many people.

Awesome video, love seeing some behind the scenes stuff like this!

I’m not crying your crying

Wait, Jonah made Alduin and the Whalebone Bridge but never actually experienced those? How crazy is that? You're awesome, all of you. This is a work of art, just like Skyrim is.

First time i walked into black reach I was in awe. First time I walked out (6 hours later) I was exhausted and even MORE in awe. Also stumbling into it during a side quest 100% gave it that "my secret discovery" feeling on a masive scale.

I really appreciate the design of not filling the map with icons etc. Really added to the sense of discovery and replayability

Incredible to hear all these stories, thanks for putting this together Jonah❤️🔥 Skyrim is endless and a big reason is the love you guys clearly put into the game.

I played Skyrim the day it came out when I was 16. I've played a lot of oblivion (and even some morrowind before that, one of my very first rpgs). Before Skyrim came out, I was thinking that there is no way this game would exceed Oblivion, it's a game that I cherished a lot at that time. But then I played that intro sequence for the first time with my brother, I don't know how, but I immediately knew that I was proven wrong. I felt overwhelmed by everything, the tone, the setting, the music… I remember thinking: "My god, they might've done it!" - Youcef from Algeria

You guys made the best video game in history. Ocarina of Time, Pokemon, which also score a lot of nostalgia points, don't reach this level of letting yourself fall into this game, forgetting everything that stresses you out. I can play it every day, because you never get tired. Modding Community also is incredible. A masterpiece, truly. You created so many great memories

The passion the development team for Skyrim shown in this video is unbelievably strong. I've never seen people from a game studio so proud and enthusiastic over what they've accomplished. It's clear that something special was meant to come from that passion, and I'm elated to see that it turned into my all-time favorite game. Thank you all sincerely for the amazing work of art that you've made.

Todd Howard likes to talk about “step out” moments when you see the beauty of the game world unleashed for the first time. For me, that moment was the Riverwood ants. I remember seeing it in a promo and being so amazed that as soon as I left Riverwood, I went to look at the ants. I studied them for a good few minutes. I was just stunned that there was such a level of detail to the game — that’s when I fell in love with Skyrim. Mark Teare, your work has not gone unnoticed!

Because of your hard work on Skyrim inspired me i was a, special needs kid who hated school used to come home every single day to play Skyrim to escape from it all, the world you created inspired me to become a programmer when everyone was telling me im Forest Gump and too dumb or not capable of anything, 14 years later im a full-stack employed web developer, with a first-class honours in computer science, with a little bit of game dev experience. The Game you built inspired me to do better Thank you Everyone at Bethesda

Hearing Adam passed away after the game released broke my heart. Thank you for your love and passion, RIP