Bethesda Releasing Oblivion Remake In 2025 Before The Elder Scrolls VI

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was a massive critical and financial success, winning several industry awards, including Game of the Year 2006. The graphics, the breadth of the game environment, and the schedule-driven NPCs captivated everyone. TES: IV Oblivion is still regarded as one of the best open-world RPG games ever developed by Bethesda before Skyrim, and it's also one of the studio's saving graces, along with the Fallout series, both sold over 50 million copies each.

It's been eighteen long years since Oblivion was released and thirteen years since Skyrim, while the anticipation has kept mounting for The Elder Scrolls VI for a while since the game was teased in 2018. And even though fans have been waiting for the release of TES: VI, we might just be looking into the potential of a The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake.

Last year, a former Virtuos Games developer stated that Virtuos is working on a project called Altar, which is thought to be a TES: IV Oblivion remaster or remake. This project would use Unreal Engine 5 and is scheduled for release in 2025. Although this is exciting news for The Elder Scrolls fans, Bethesda has not officially confirmed anything about it nor shared any update on The Elder Scrolls VI. They will most likely not until next spring or summer at the very latest if they are targeting the 2025 fall or winter release window.

This is where the fan-made mod Skyblivion: The Elder Scrolls came into view, which remakes Oblivion in Skyrim's engine. A volunteer-driven effort by The Elder Scrolls Renewal modding organization that intends to bring Oblivion to a new generation by recreating Cyrodiil, including all of its quests, locales, and characters, in Skyrim and the Skyrim engine.

This release timeframe pretty much aligns with Skyblivion at this moment, as they are also aiming for a 2025 release date. So imagine if they came out at the same time, and you've spent a decade producing a fan remake of a game, only for them to release a remaster instead. If Skyblivion is coming out in 2025, there is another concern: Would Bethesda release an Oblivion remake?

Bethesda started working on The Elder Scrolls VI long before the teaser was shown in 2018, and according to them, the game has parted from pre-production. This means The Elder Scrolls VI is releasing soon, even though the release date has not been announced yet; however, it is expected to be in 2026 or 2027.

Even though all of this sounds like a rumor and The Elder Scrolls VI's release is just a year or two away, it's still confusing whether Bethesda may genuinely develop a TES: IV Oblivion remaster. However, this came to light after Bethesda's takeover by Microsoft, and the key documents were leaked, which stated numerous new titles will be released between 2025 and 2027, including the Oblivion remake, so it's difficult to contradict such a possibility.

We think that a remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion would be an excellent idea before The Elder Scrolls VI to appeal to the new audience of the franchise. It is a very antiquated game at this time and could benefit from a fresh coat of paint. It's also quite easy to see why Bethesda would want a completely new player base to jump in and then return to buy The Elder Scrolls VI when it eventually arrives.

In the end, however, while all the potential news of an official Oblivion remake is extremely promising, we must approach the rumors with a fair dosage of skepticism until Bethesda confirms them.