New ‘Skyrim’ DLC Release After Hearthfire May Be 'Dragonborn,' Allegedly Leaked Files Found In 1.8 Patch Update [VIDEO]

Little information is known on this alleged DLC, but evidence indicates that it could take players back to Morrowind, according to the Official Xbox Magazine UK.  Quest markers for Solstheim, Telvanni, Castle Karstaag, Raven Rock and Miraak Temple have allegedly been discovered alongside what appears to be new armor entries. These include Bonemold, Chitin, Nordic and Stalhrim, and files for dragon-riding animations also appeared in the 1.8 update.

In May, Bethesda Zenimax trademarked the term Dragonborn for “computer game software for use with computers and video game consoles; downloadable computer game software offered via the internet and wireless devices.”

This is little short of a confirmation that the company is rolling out another DLC, as Bethesda Zenimax filed a similar trademark for the term Dawnguard in March. This was the first DLC to be released for Skyrim, which came in June, months after Bethesda’s ownership claim.

If the rumors hold up to be true, and Dragonborn is a new DLC, this will be Skyrim’s second major expansion after Dawnguard. The Hearthfire add-on was released in September, but did not include any missions or quests. Instead, it brought new modifications to Skyrim players and allowed them to build on the character they created. For example, with Hearthfire, players have the option to build a house or adopt children.

Although Bethesda Zenimax has yet to make any official announcements concerning a new DLC, a closer look at a video from this winter’s DICE 2012 summit provides clues about what’s to come. The Game Jam video, created by the Bethesda development team, contained features that were found in both the Dawnguard and Hearthfire DLCs. To no surprise, dragon mount abilities were also seen in the footage.

As a new Skyrim DLC may be in development, PS3 players have yet to receive any of the previously released expansions; however, a code found in the 1.8 update may hint that a DLC could be coming to Sony’s console in the near future. The code read “$DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT_PS3 DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT.” Since Bethesda has not made any announcements, this can only be considered rumor at this point.

Earlier this month, Pete Hines, Bethesda’s vice president of public relations and marketing, addressed fan concerns on Twitter, revealing that a technical issue with the PS3 is preventing the DLC’s release.

“This is not a Dawnguard issue,” he posted to the social media site. “This is a DLC on PS3 issue. It affected DG [Dawnguard] because it was the first one.”

The delayed release date on PS3 was initially believed to be the result of a deal with Microsoft to release Dawnguard as an Xbox exclusive, but Bethesda posted in its official fan forum to clarify the situation.

“It’s been a few weeks, and we wanted to make sure everyone knows where we’re at with Dawnguard,” the post from last month read. “Skyrim is a massive and dynamic game that requires a lot of resources, and things get much more complex when you’re talking about sizeable content like Dawnguard. We have tried a number of things, but none of them solve the issue enough to make Dawnguard good for everyone.”

Check out the Game Jam video below to see what ideal Skyrim gameplay would be like for the Bethesda development team.