Oblivion's Return: Bethesda Reclaims RPG Crown with Surprise Remaster Amidst Starfield Concerns

Oblivion's Return: Bethesda Reclaims RPG Crown with Surprise Remaster Amidst Starfield Concerns

By Azura, – the rumors were true. Yesterday, Bethesda set the internet on fire by finally pulling back the curtain on Virtuos’ remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. An ‘Elder Scrolls Direct’ of sorts culminated in the surprise shadow-drop, which near-immediately transformed into hundreds of thousands of concurrent players. This moment of global hype and celebration feels like a much-needed port in the current storm Bethesda Game Studios has been facing in recent years. From conducting years-long damage control to rectify Fallout 76’s misfire launch, to the lackluster reception of its new sci-fi universe, Starfield, the studio’s most recent output has had many fans asking the same question: Has Bethesda lost the magic?

There’s fiercer competition in the RPG space these days, with Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 and Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds franchise both garnering critical acclaim as Elder Scrolls and Fallout spiritual successors. But while Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 may be years away from reclaiming their crowns, this re-release of Oblivion may be a step in the right direction – just not in the direction you’d expect.

A Look Back at Bethesda’s Peak and Recent Performance

At its peak, Bethesda Game Studios was an RPG juggernaut. In 2020, Microsoft’s leaked FTC documents revealed that Fallout 4 had sold 25 million units. The game shifted over 5 million units in its first week alone. Likewise, in 2023 Todd Howard announced Skyrim had crossed 60 million sales (though it’s worth noting rereleasing it 50 times likely helped).

But how does that compare to their more recent title, Starfield? Estimates put it at just over three million units a year-and-a-half post launch. While taking into account Game Pass subscribers, this must still be something of a disappointment for Bethesda. And while there is a Starfield fanbase, it’s far smaller than that enjoyed by The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, and even it has voiced displeasure with the game’s first expansion, Shattered Space.

This leaves the developer with a big problem. With The Elder Scrolls 6 “years away” and Fallout 5 just a whisper, how can this once-iconic RPG developer enchant their fanbase once more? The answer seemingly lies in its past.

The Oblivion Remaster: A Surge of Excitement

Rumors of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster began back in September 2023, with leaked Microsoft documents revealing unannounced Bethesda titles. A former employee of Virtuos let slip more details in January 2025, dividing fans. Finally, last week, the news broke, generating over 6.4 million Google searches for ‘The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’, a 713% increase in just one week! At its peak, the reveal livestream had over half a million viewers. Despite the prior leaks, over 600,000 people tuned in to see the 19-year-old game re-revealed. The intense demand even caused issues with discount game key websites. As of yesterday, Steam saw 125,000 concurrent players, and the game is the #1 best seller.

What the Remaster Brings to the Table

  • Engine Upgrade: The remaster now runs in Unreal Engine 5, offering drastically improved visuals with better textures, character models, animations, and lighting.
  • Included Expansions: Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles expansions are included from the start, unlike some other recent re-releases.
  • Simplified Leveling: Leveling up has been made easier, allowing players to apply Virtue Points to Attributes directly.
  • UI Improvements: The user interface has been updated for better clarity and usability.
  • Enhanced Audio: New dialogue lines were recorded to give each NPC race a more unique voice.
  • Improved Third-Person: A third-person cursor has been added for better aiming, and general feel smoothed out.
  • Added Effects: More sound effects, haptic feedback, and visual effects have been added to combat.

Bethesda aims to present the original "as you remember it playing it, but seen through today's technology".

Support for the Skyblivion Project

The release of the official remaster initially sparked concerns for the dedicated team behind Skyblivion, a volunteer project to rebuild Oblivion in the modern Skyrim engine. However, Bethesda has explicitly stated it has "no intention of shutting down" the fan project. The studio even gifted the entire Skyblivion team with copies of the newly released Oblivion Remastered, a gesture the team greatly appreciated.

The Skyblivion team has long maintained that their project isn't a competition, particularly as it will be a PC-only mod. This attitude, coupled with Bethesda’s supportive stance, suggests a healthy coexistence between the official remaster and the ambitious fan recreation.

Unlike some publishers who actively suppress fan projects, Bethesda has historically been open and encouraging of its community’s creative endeavors.

What's Next?

Rumors point to a Fallout 3 remaster potentially arriving in 2026, timed with the second season of the Fallout TV series. There's even speculation about a potential surprise remake of Fallout: New Vegas, given the success of the show and Bethesda’s apparent willingness to strategically re-engage its fanbase.

While Morrowind remains a long-shot for a full remake due to its unconventional design, the success of Oblivion Remastered reinforces the idea that revisiting and revitalizing older titles is a smart strategy for Bethesda as it navigates the long development cycles of its next-generation RPGs.