'Skyrim' expansion 'Hearthfire' announced, hits Xbox 360 on September 4th

"Hearthfire," the second expansion for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, was announced today by Bethesda for a September 4th release on Xbox 360 for 400 Microsoft Points.

"Hearthfire," the second expansion for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, was announced today by Bethesda for a September 4th release on Xbox 360 for 400 Microsoft Points.

The follow-up to this summer's "Dawnguard" add-on, "Hearthfire" brings The Sims into Skyrim by allowing players to purchase a plot of land and build a home from scratch. Houses can be customized with components like an alchemy lab or a room for nothing but cheese wheels, and must be defended from intruders. It's not just the home itself that needs protection: "Hearthfire" lets players adopt children and raise them.

No release date for the PC or PlayStation 3 versions of "Hearthfire" is available yet. Skyrim's "Dawnguard" expansion launched June 26th on 360 and August 2nd on PC, but is still not out on PS3.