We have a double dose of good news for Skyrim players today. Bethesda’s sent word that the long-awaited Creation Kit for Skyrim is now available, allowing hobbyist developers to create mods using official tools. Fans can now upload, download, and install custom content seamlessly through the Skyrim Workshop as well.

Additionally, in a surprise drop, Bethesda has made a high-res texture pack available as free DLC on Steam. Weighing in at around 3.1GB, you’ll need a beefy PC to run it. Specifics weren’t given, only to “make sure your system requirements exceed Skyrim’s recommended specs before attempting to install.” We can’t wait to see what it looks like in motion.

For those who haven’t picked up Bethesda’s mammoth RPG yet, the company is running a 33% off midweek madness sale on Steam as well, bringing the total damage down to $40. Alternatively, you can grab the entire Elder Scrolls Collection pack – which includes Morrowind and Oblivion – for $50.

Big changes are underway at Eat Sleep Play, the studio responsible for development on the PS3 iteration of vehicular mayhem simulator Twisted Metal. According to a Salt Lake Tribute report, eight employees have been laid off, representing a 20 percent headcount reduction. In addition, co-founder and God of War producer David Jaffe is packing his bags. Going forward, the studio will focus on mobile experiences from here on out.

“He’s excited to go into the casual space as well,” said co-founder Steve Campbell. “He’s got some projects that he’s excited about. So we’re kind of going down two separate paths.”

While the report suggests Jaffe is going down the casual route, he’s denied this on Twitter. He also makes mention of starting a new game company, further noting that he will remain at Eat Sleep Play for the next few months.

“Another 1.5-3 months). Still being paid with ESP paycheck,etc. But I WILL be leaving2start new game studio. Talking2peeps,” tweeted Jaffe.

Rockstar San Diego, the studio perhaps best known for Red Dead Redemption, is hiring for a new open world title. A number of job listings over at Gamasutra surfaced over the weekend, with vacancies open for programmers well-versed in networking and AI.

No details on the open world effort were provided, though unless on the off-chance it’s a new IP, we’re placing our bets on a sequel to Red Dead Redemption. Given the enormous success of the first title, a follow-up seems like a no-brainer. The only question is: will it land on current or next-gen platforms?

With the domestic launch of PS Vita only a week away, Sony is prepping yet another firmware update. Unlike the past two updates, this one is rather substantial, adding a Map app powered by Google Maps, along with the ability to record videos. Additionally, Sony is rolling out a Mac OSX-compatible version of Content Manager Assistant, a required app for transferring files to and from the Vita over USB connection.

In terms of less noteworthy changes, users can also expect to see the rebranding of PSN to SEN on account sign-in pages. The firmware is due out later this week on Wednesday. We’ll let you know when it’s live.

According to an email making the rounds to PlayStation Network users, Sony is no longer referring to online accounts on PS3 or Vita under the familiar PSN banner. Going forward, any registered accounts across the company’s entire suite of online services will be known as Sony Entertainment Network or SEN accounts. It’s effective February 8.

Outside of minor TOS alterations, the change is in name only, PSN as we know it will stay the same. Sony says the move will help further establish “a global comprehensive network platform of services across games, movies, music and more, all accessible from one convenient account.” That said, the company has been beating the integration drum for awhile now, so we’re not too surprised to see this happen.

Here’s the email in full:

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After several class updates, copious amounts of hats and the addition of the Mann Co storefront — what could possibly be next for the constantly updated Team Fortress 2? Apparently, Valve has big plans in store, as it has revealed that a top secret project is in the works. No further details were spared, only that it’s “brand new” and coming in 2012. Oh, and it’s not a hat or map.

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Metro Last Light, the sequel to sleeper hit Metro 2033, has been pushed back into 2013. Amid financial woes that led to hundreds of job losses over the past week, THQ announced the delay during its third quarter financial results call with investors. Originally, the title was planned for a year-end release on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Beyond that, THQ shed light on its schedule for 2013 and beyond, which is full of big-hitters. We’ll see Devil’s Third from Tomonobu Itagaki of Ninja Gaiden fame and a yet-to-be named title from Turtle Rock Studio, the studio behind the original Left 4 Dead. Crytek-developed Homefront 2 is also on the same roadmap.

PS3 Modern Warfare 3 players enlisted in Activision’s subscription-driven Call of Duty Elite program will finally see their investment bear fruit on February 28, with the arrival of two content season drops. These come in the form of map packs Liberation and Piazza, both of which hit Xbox 360 last month. It’s not clear when the Elite exclusivity period will elapse, but we imagine that won’t happen for another month or so.

Deets on each map are provided below. For screens, hit up VGIMG.

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Developer Remedy today narrowed down the release date for Alan Wake PC, revealing that it’ll hit Steam on February 16. Distribution will carry over to other e-tailers such as Origin “soon” after that, along with a boxed retail product.

The late debut carries a budget price, with the standard edition priced at $29.99, which includes downloadable content scenarios The Signal and The Writer. A Collector’s Edition will also be on offer for $34.99.

Key PC enhancements include a “wide selection of customizable graphics settings,” the ability to change field of view settings and hide on-screen HUD elements for more immersive gameplay, as well as AMD Eyefinity 3D and NVIDIA NVISION2 3D support.

January has come and gone and the promised Skyrim Creation Kit is still nowhere to be seen. In a recent press email concerning its release, Bethesda still wouldn’t stamp an exact date on it, but did promise that it is coming “soon.”

The Creation Kit will give PC modders access to official tools Bethesda used to develop the game. Perhaps even more exciting is a mod delivery network dubbed Steam Workshop that will launch alongside the kit, allowing hobbyist developers to share their creations via Steam. Bethesda has given a sneak peek at the effort in the video clip below.

Notable features include one-click installs and the ability to subscribe to mods for automatic updating. If you’ve ever strayed away from mods due to the hassle of setting them up, well, there’s seemingly no excuse with this.

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