Has it really been almost five years since Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion came out and amazed gamers with its massive, beautiful world? It has.

Bethesda’s acquisition of the Fallout license has certainly let us forget about their flagship fantasy series for a while, but it’s coming back in a big way next year. They’ve just announced The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which will hit stores on November 11th, 2011 (Yes, 11.11.11. Expect a lot of stuff to take advantage of that date…)

Promises we can expect- a brand new game engine, significantly improved characters and animation (certainly one of the biggest graphical issues in the series, and still in Fallout 3), and a story revolving around dragons. As the title indicates the game will take place in the Nordic land of Skyrim, which means we can expect a wintery, cold theme to the game. The Nords certainly never seemed to get as much attention as the other people in the land, so it will be interesting to find more out about their history.

“It’s exciting finally to announce the game,” said Todd Howard, Game Director on Skyrim. “We’ve been working for many years on Skyrim and the technology behind it. A new Elder Scrolls game has been a long time coming, and we can’t wait to show it off.”

Take a look at the teaser trailer below and expect much more as details emerge!