Summary
Following the shadow drop ofThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, a former Bethesda developer who worked onOblivion’s original release praised the updated version. The former Bethesda developer stated that callingOblivion Remastereda simple remaster did not do justice to the changes and efforts made to the original version.
Though it had been one of the worst-kept secrets in Microsoft’s and Bethesda’s repertoires of late,Oblivion Remasteredwas fully revealed during an April 22 live event that was streamed on social media. Following the stream,Oblivion Remasteredwas shadow dropped on PC, PS5, and Xbox consoles, and quickly became a success on Steam. A few hours after its sudden launch,Oblivion Remasteredhad over 128,000 concurrent players on Steam.Oblivion Remasteredcurrently holds an 82% positive rating on Valve’s storefront at the time of writing.
However, the sudden launch ofOblivion Remasteredand its comparisons to the original 2006 gamehave drawn the attention of a former developer of the latter. Inan interview with VideoGamer, former Bethesda game developer Bruce Nesmith stated that callingOblivion Remastereda simple remaster would not do the project justice. Nesmith said that a remaster would be similar to the asset updates featured inSkyrim: Special Edition, and that the reworked mechanics and animations featured inOblivion Remasteredfell somewhere between a remaster and a full-on remake of the entire game. In short, Nesmith dubbedOblivion Remasteredan “Oblivion 2.0” of sorts.
Original Oblivion Developer Praises The Remastered Version
During his time with Bethesda, Nesmith wasOblivion’s original senior game designer and was also a lead designer forSkyrim’s original launch. Nesmith retired from game development in 2021, as Bethesda turned its attention toStarfield. Since then, Nesmith continues to write and publish literary role-playing game (LitRPG) books.
Although the main story ofOblivionand its expansions remained unchanged from the 2006 release, some quality-of-lifeupdates to movement speed were added toOblivion Remastered. While the original core ofOblivionremains part of the remaster, Bethesda and Virtuos used Unreal Engine 5 to power the game’s graphics and physics. However, players will have to set aside plenty of storage space, asOblivion Remasteredrequires approximately 125 GB to install.
WhileThe Elder Scrolls 6remains in development, the surprising launch ofOblivion Remasteredhas taken the gaming industry by storm. As players explore the remade Imperial lands of Cyrodiil and fight back against invading Daedric forces from the titular plane of Oblivion, it remains to be seen what the remaster’s long-term legacy will be.
