Elder Scrolls fans have been desperately hoping for a new release in their beloved high fantasy RPG franchise for what feels like an eternity at this point, and out of nowhere, one seems to be around the corner. No, the ever-so-elusive Elder Scrolls 6 still looks like something that’s still not quite within touching distance (or anywhere even close to touching distance, actually), but is reports are to be believed, a remake of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is set to release imminently, close to two decades on from the 2006 original RPG’s release. Ahead of that imminent launch, then, here, we’re going to talk about everything that we have learned about the purported Oblivion remakes from rumours and unconfirmed reports over the last several weeks and months. Let’s start off with the basics…
DEVELOPED BY VIRTUOS
Bethesda Game Studios has its hands full with plenty of its own projects right now- there’s post-launch content for Starfield, which is going to continue receiving expansions and updates for the foreseeable future; there’s Fallout 76, which remains a constant in the BGS portfolio, and maintains consistent live service operations; and there’s The Elder Scrolls 6, which has finally entered full production now that Starfield is out.
Oblivion’s remake, then, is not being made by its original studio, but allegedly by VIrtuos, a studio best known for its work on ports, remasters, remakes, and as a support developer. Virtuos is also co-developer on fellow upcoming remake Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Whether Bethesda Game Studios has had any involvement whatsoever in the project is unknown at this stage.
BUILT ON UNREAL ENGINE 5
The original Elder Scrolls 4 was built on a Bethesda Game Studios build of Gamebryo, which was essentially a precursor to the studio’s now-famous Creation Engine. The 2006 open world action RPG’s remake, however, is allegedly using a different engine. Some of the earlier reports indicated that the remake would still be using the original game’s codebase and systems, and render the new visuals through an Unreal Engine 5 pipeline.
Later reports have given credence to that as well, with multiple claims having been made to the same effect since then. For instance, earlier this year, in January, the LinkedIn profile of a Virtuos employee mentioned ongoing work at the studio on an unannounced remake built in Unreal Engine 5, likely pointing to Oblivion.
REWORKED BLOCKING
The assumption for many in the lead up to the Oblivion remake’s presumed imminent release that it’s going to recreate the original rather faithfully, rather than being a full on reimagining, though is reports are to be believed, the game is still significantly reworking several aspects of its tech and gameplay. The tech we have already touched on, but what about the gameplay? Well, interestingly, it seems like combat will see some notable changes.
As per an MP1st report in January, the Oblivion remake will feature an overhauled blocking system that will take cues from Soulslike and action games. As per the report, the original game’s blocking mechanics were deemed too aged and cumbersome by the remake’s dev steam, leading to the rework. Exactly what the new system will look like is unclear, but given the Soulslike comparisons, we can probably make some assumptions. For instance, stamina will presumably play a larger role. Speaking of which…
STAMINA, SNEAKING IMPROVEMENTS
MP1st’s aforementioned report made mention of a handful of other gameplay improvements that the remake will bring to the table. As we touched on earlier, the stamina system is seeing some changes, including the penalties upon depletion of stamina being less frustrating for players thanks to reworked calculation methods. Tweaks have been made to the stealth mechanics. For instance, damage calculation methods have been reworked here as well, as per the report, while sneak icons will also now be highlighted in the remake.
OTHER TWEAKS AND CHANGES
That’s not the extent of the purported gameplay changes in the Oblivion remake. The game allegedly also reworks the archery mechanics, as per the MP1st report, with ranged combat allegedly being smoother in both first and third person. Hit detection has also allegedly seen improvements, so both the player and NPCs should react to damage more realistically.
Shoddy hit detection and impact animations were massively responsible for giving Oblivion’s combat its infamous floaty and clunky feel, so hopefully, these improvements will make an immediate difference. Finally, it’s claimed that the remake will also feature an overhauled HUD and UI, with the goal of being a more readable and easier to navigate experience than the original- which should come as a much welcome improvement, as those who have played the original will emphatically tell you.
VISUAL IMPROVEMENTS
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is close to two decades old now, so any remake or remaster releasing at this stage would ideally have to make some noticeable visual and tech changes. Sure enough, reports have claimed that that is indeed what developer Virtuos has done as it rebuilds the 2006 classic in Unreal Engine 5- and though the remake hasn’t yet been officially unveiled (or even acknowledged) yet, it seems we have already seen ample evidence to indicate that the Oblivion remake isn’t skimping on the visual upgrades. Screenshots of the remake emerged online earlier this month when Virtuos accidentally left them up on its website for everyone to grab and see, and those images certainly suggest that Oblivion is going to get a pretty significant graphical glow up.
MULTIPLATFORM LAUNCH
Back when Bethesda was acquired by Xbox, there was plenty of confusion over whether The Elder Scrolls games would start skipping PlayStation releases going forward, but with time, those questions have all but vanished. The last year or so in particular has made it abundantly clear that Microsoft has become a multiplatform publisher for all intents and purposes at this point, and sure enough, rumours have claimed that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s remake will indeed be launching day and date for Xbox, PC, and PlayStation simultaneously.
Given the massive fanbase that the Elder Scrolls franchise has cultivated on PlayStation since making its debut on the platform (ironically with Oblivion back in 2007 with a belated release), it should come as no surprise that Microsoft – which has already embraced PS5 with multiple multiplatform releases – doesn’t see the sense on skipping out on the platform with a major new Elder Scrolls release. Whether we can expect the game to also release for the Nintendo Switch 2 at some point remains to be seen.
SHADOW DROPPING IMMINENTLY
So when exactly can we expect to get our hands on the Oblivion remake? Well, apparently, it is not too far away. Reports claimed earlier in the year that the game would launch at some point in Spring, which was then narrowed down to April, which has in recent days been narrowed down further still to the week of April 21. The same was claimed by journalist Jeff Grubb earlier in the month, and several reports have corroborated that since then. It remains to be seen exactly when it is going to happen, but by all accounts, simultaneous reveal and release of a remake of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is going to happen for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC at some point in the coming days.
