RAGE hits iTunes!!

RAGE is now available for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Visit iTunes and to download either the HD or SD releases of the game – priced at $1.99 and $.99, respectively.

For more info on the game, check out the previews at IGN and Touch Arcade, as well as John Carmack's development diary. John also gave us the scoop on iPhone release of RAGE during his interview on the latest episode of The Bethesda Podcast (see below for more details).

Details on Fallout: New Vegas' first DLC,
Dead Money

On December 21st, Fallout: New Vegas' first DLC, Dead Money, will be available exclusively on Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points.

To give you a sneak peek at the content, Senior Designer Chris Avellone answered a few of our questions about the heist-themed content.

Here's the interview…

Can you discuss the setting for Dead Money?
Dead Money is set in the Sierra Madre, an opulent and extravagant resort that was supposed to be the greatest casino in the west – except that it never opened. Bombs fell before the gala opening, and the Sierra Madre froze in time, its state of the art security system locking the place up tight. Nothing could get in, and none of the guests could escape. Years passed. The climate control and air conditioning system within the facility began to spit toxins into the surrounding city, causing a slow cloud and haze to form over the area - which proved lethal to anyone who tried to explore the city. Only a mysterious group called the Ghost People survived to call the city home, trapped inside what appeared to be hazmat suits and never speaking to their victims... only capturing them alive and dragging them away to the depths of the city deep within the Cloud.

And so the Sierra Madre faded from the history books, only occasionally being seen in posters across the wastes, until it took on mythic ghost story status... a supposed "City of Gold" in the Mojave Wasteland where all the treasures of the Old World were rumored to be held. It was kept alive as a late-night saloon story by prospectors who'd claimed to have found maps leading there... and were willing to part with the "map" for a few caps. Or a drink. Or a warm place to sleep.

How will the player reach this area?
The Sierra Madre is a mythical place in the wastes, with travelers all risking their lives to find it. Only one man truly "found" it - and lived. After the fall of HELIOS One, Father Elijah of the Brotherhood of Steel set out to find new weapons to eradicate NCR. And in the process he found the Sierra Madre. The Courier is lured to the Sierra Madre by a faint radio broadcast advertising the gala grand opening.

From a gameplay standpoint, Dead Money is accessed by loading a save file from any point in Fallout: New Vegas prior to the endgame sequence, in the same way as Operation Anchorage, Point Lookout, The Pitt or Mothership Zeta were triggered in Fallout 3.

Can you share details on some of the new creatures/enemies players will encounter?
This being an extension of Fallout: New Vegas, players will encounter several unique characters, each with their own motivations, all of whom will have to work together if any of them are going to survive. Aside from just struggling with their would-be companions, the courier will also have to deal with the mysterious Ghost People as well as the casino's substantial defense systems.

MachineGames Joins ZeniMax Media

ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of Bethesda Softworks, recently announced it has acquired a European development studio, MachineGames™, based in Uppsala, Sweden.

Established in 2009 by the founding members of Starbreeze Studios, the creative team best known for The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher's Bay and The Darkness, MachineGames is working on an unannounced project for Bethesda that is being built on id Software's revolutionary id Tech® 5 engine technology.

When we have more details on what the studio is working on, we'll let you know.

GameStop's Hunted sweepstakes is the
Ultimate Co-Op Prize Package

Need a new home theater setup? Or maybe two? Beginning today, GameStop has a sweepstakes perfect for enjoying the co-op experience of Hunted. One lucky winner will take home a double dose of awesome – to keep for their own or share with a friend:

• Two 50” HDTVs

• Two Home Theater Surround Sound Systems

• A choice of (2) Xbox 360 or (2) PS3 Consoles

• Two Copies of Hunted: The Demon's Forge.

For full details on prizes and rules, head to GameStop.com .

THE BETHESDA PODCAST EPISODE 5 NOW AVAILABLE

The fifth episode of The Bethesda Podcast features an in-depth interview on RAGE Mobile with id Software's co-founder and technical director John Carmack – discussing topics ranging from the game's development to space exploration and Ferraris. Also featured on the podcast is Bethesda Game Studios level designer Joel Burgess, who shares advice on breaking into the game industry.

You can download this podcast on our Bethesda Blog podcast page, through our RSS Feed, or on iTunes.

Bid on cool swag for RAGE, Fallout, and Brink…
for a good cause

The Bethesda Blog has details on how you can bid on some exclusive Bethesda collector's items, including the following:

• One-of-a-kind RAGE Framed/Signed Print

• Fallout: New Vegas Neon Sign

• Todd Howard-signed Vault Boy Bobblehead

• Massive 10 ft Brink Print (signed by the team at Splash Damage)

• Team-signed copy of Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox 360)

• Team-signed Fallout 3 Poster

• Team-signed Fallout: New Vegas Poster (NCR Ranger)

• Team-signed Fallout: New Vegas Lithograph (All Roads)

• Fallout: New Vegas NCR T-Shirt

All proceeds of the Ebay auction will go towards the Brian Wood Memorial Trust.