Skyrim's Hearthfire DLC lets players build homes, start families on Sept. 4

Bethesda announced today that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's next piece of downloadable content is named Hearthfire, as foreshadowed in a Zenimax trademark filing back in May. The DLC will hit the Xbox Live Marketplace on Sept. 4 (next Wednesday).

Priced at 400 Microsoft Points, the download will provide players with new mechanics that will allow them to build homes out of materials found in the game's massive world, from "a one-room cottage to a sprawling compound," according to Bethesda's blog. Players will also be allowed to adopt children, essentially allowing you to start families, considering created characters can already get married in Skyrim.

So far, Bethesda's only mentioned Hearthfire's release for the Xbox Live Marketplace; there's been no mention of the DLC for the PlayStation Network or PC, which is quite sad, considering PS3 players still don't have Skyrim's first DLC, Dawnguard. Of course, we'll keep you up to date with news on Hearthfire's -- or Dawnguard's -- arrival on other platforms.