Summary
- Bethesda is rumored to be working on remasters of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Fallout 3, following the success of Skyrim's multiple re-releases.
- The leaked release schedule from 2020 mentioned an Oblivion remaster, but Bethesda has not officially announced it or provided any details about the game.
- The remaster is likely to include upgraded graphics and all of Oblivion's premium content, including story expansions and smaller DLCs, but it is unlikely to feature any restored cut content.
While Skyrim’s multiple re-releases have become a bit of a running joke, other Bethesda games haven’t received the same treatment. However, that might change with the rumored remasters of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Fallout 3. While perhaps a bit dated, Oblivion was a big hit in the early Xbox 360 era and still enjoys an active player base. The rumored remaster might be a good opportunity for Skyrim and ESO fans to explore Cryodiil in the late Third Era.
However, Bethesda never officially announced a remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Fans only know about it thanks to a leaked and outdated release schedule from 2020, before Starfield was delayed from 2021 to 2023. Even if it is still on the way, fans know virtually nothing about the Oblivion remaster. Still, it is possible to make some educated guesses about what Bethesda may have in mind.
Predicting the Oblivion Remaster
One thing that might be worth emphasizing is that the leaked schedule used the word “remaster” rather than “remake.” Therefore, players should probably expect upgraded graphics but not any massive changes to the existing game. At most, Bethesda might make some minor adjustments or quality-of-life improvements. Hopefully, the studio will fix Oblivion’s leftover bugs, though that’s far from certain, considering the bugs in Skyrim: Anniversary Edition. Either way, it will most likely be the same fundamental experience with a fresh coat of paint.
Oblivion DLC
Of course, it won’t be exactly like 2006 since the remastered Elder Scrolls 4 will almost definitely include all of Oblivion’s premium content. As with Morrowind before it and Skyrim after, Oblivion had two main story expansions. Knights of the Nine saw players embark on a quest to collect the armor and weapons of the Divine Crusader, which they need to defend Cyrodiil from the return of an ancient evil sorcerer-king. The second, Shivering Isles, saw players transported to the realm of Daedric Prince Sheogorath and ended with them taking the throne as the new Prince of Madness.
Bethesda also released several smaller Oblivion DLCs. In addition to Oblivion’s infamous Horse Armor, these included multiple player homes and a quest to recover the legendary Daedric Artifact Mehrunes’ Razor. Presumably, the remaster will have all of Oblivion’s post-release content. Hopefully, Bethesda also finds a way to incorporate the DLC into the game, rather than Oblivion’s approach of throwing everything into the player’s quest log as soon as they finish the tutorial.
Oblivion was one of the first console games to fully embrace paid DLC. Some also consider Oblivion’s Horse Armor a precursor to modern microtransactions.
New Oblivion Content
A big question that fans might have about the rumored Oblivion remaster is if it will have any new content. That might be outside the scope of a remaster, but it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Skyrim: Anniversary Edition introduced fishing a full ten years after release. Specifically, “Fishing” was a piece of creation Club content bundled with that edition of the game alongside Survival Mode and Saints and Seducers.
One wonders whether the new game will feature Bethesda’s Creation Club. While doing so may go against the spirit of preserving the original experience, it isn’t an impossibility. After all, Oblivion’s smaller DLC aren’t too different from the content found on Skyrim's Creation Club. This is purely speculation, but an Oblivion Creation Club wouldn’t be surprising.
Oblivion Cut Content
Unfortunately, it seems much less likely that the Oblivion remaster will feature any restored content. The Elder Scrolls 4 had a fair amount of content that was either cut or reduced, including quests, in-game holidays, more arenas, and an entire extra city. However, considering Bethesda never restored Skyrim’s deleted features, it’s doubtful that the studio will ever revisit Oblivion’s.
- Released
- March 20, 2006
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- havok, speedtree, gamebryo
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
WHERE TO PLAY
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition presents one of the best RPGs of all time like never before. Step inside the most richly detailed and vibrant game-world ever created. With a powerful combination of freeform gameplay and unprecedented graphics, you can unravel the main quest at your own pace or explore the vast world and find your own challenges. Also included in the Game of the Year edition are Knights of the Nine and the Shivering Isles expansion, adding new and unique quests and content to the already massive world of Oblivion. See why critics called Oblivion the Best Game of 2006.
