At this point the existence of a Elder Scrolls: Oblivion remake seems all but confirmed. 2022 hit us with with FTC court documents that referenced an Oblivion remaster. We saw a leaked Bethesda release schedule in 2023 which mentioned it, and several insiders have also commented on its existence, including Nate the Hate who recently stated that it’s scheduled for a June release.
Xbox does have a Developer Direct scheduled for this month and will involve a mysterious unannounced project, but currently the rumour says the remaster will not be appearing there.
Now, a new report by MP1ST claims that the remake will not just be a graphical overhaul but will also include gameplay improvements.
According to MP1ST, the information comes from the website of a former Virtous – the company supposedly working on the project – employee. Said information has since been deleted, so we only have the word of MP1ST to go on. No screenshots the information were taken, and MP1ST mention they don’t want to disclose the employee’s name for privacy reasons.
Firstly, the game is being “fully remade” in Unreal Engine 5, so that alone means it should be a major visual overhaul, Furthermore, Stamina, Sneak, Blocking, Archery, Hit Reaction, and HUD are all getting tweaks in one for or another.
- Blocking has been improved by taking ideas from Souls-like games and “ACT” games (MP1ST believes these to be titles like Assassin’s Creed) because the original system was too “boring” and “frustrating.”
- Sneak icons are now highlighted and the damage model has been reworked.
- Stamina system redone to be “less frustrating.” and less frequent knockdowns.
- HUD changed to make it easier to read and nicer to look at.
- Hit reactions to make landing blows more satisfying.
- Archer has been improved to “make it more playable and modern in both third and first-person viewpoints.”
Full remakes are always tricky territory as it can either help make an already great game even better, or it can risk stripping away what made the original special. These brief mentions hint toward this being more than just a visual tune-up, but it could be argued that Oblivion’s clunkiness is part of its charm. That said, Oblivion’s gameplay felt old even back in the day, so by 2025 standards it’s archaic.
What do you guys think? Oblivion was a massive moment in my gaming past, so I’m hyped up to have an excuse to replay it. But I am worried that even with changes, it’s not going to hold up well in 2025.
