If you are into fantasy design and gaming like I am, then I’m sure that the new ELDER SCROLLS V ‘SKYRIM’ has not escaped your notice.

This mind-blowing fantasy style action role-playing has impressed pretty much all its critics!
The game itself is, in a word, IMMENSE. It has an ‘open world’ layout – meaning that you can roam freely around its massive world map (no checkpoints, etc) and basically anywhere your particular skills can take you…buy a horse, it helps, hehe.

If you cruise across to the official Skyrim page you will find some amazing concept art, as well as some seriously slick wallpaper designs, which you can freely download. The beauty of this artwork is seriously something to marvel over.

The guy responsible for putting together the Skyrim concept art goes by the name Ray Lederer and let me tell you this guy is setting the bar for what will be expected of fantasy style concept art in 2012. I am supremely impressed and will definitely have to do a follow up posting about the character/monster concept art.

However the most important aspect of Ray Lederer’s concept art for me personally is his immersive landscape designs.

The first thing that strikes new players of Skyrim (besides the fiery death and falling debris) is the insane landscapes. This is not one of your typical first person shooters, which seeks to restrict you to a building or compound, no sir, you can literally walk for days in any direction and with each mountain rise you pass over, another totally unique and eye-poppingly gorgeous vista spans out in front of you.
The Elder Scrolls franchise has been pulling off this type of ‘size’ in its games for many years, such as with Morrowind and Oblivion…but never has it looked this good.

What I love most about the Skyrim concept art is the fact that it has been almost perfectly translated into the actual ‘game play’. It is often that you find original gaming concept art looks absolutely nothing like the game. However, the sense of scale and depth, the way the horizon stretches off into the hazy distance – all of this has been captured so vividly that it makes you almost instantly fall in love with the game.

If you would like to see more Skyrim concept art by Ray Lederer you can either check out his WEBSITE, his BLOG, or of course the ELDER SCROLLS V ‘SKYRIM’ official website.

Ok, I’m going home to play more Skyrim, hehe.