Rumors are heating up surrounding a highly-anticipated but still unannounced remake.
A rumored remake of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion will feature improved gameplay and combat, according to a report from MP1st. The outlet cites a mistake from a former Virtuos employee, with the employee revealing that the remake will have some changes to how the Stamina, Sneaking, Archery, and Blocking systems work, with exact calculations for the systems being reworked in order to be less frustrating.
The remake is allegedly being developed using Unreal Engine 5, and will also feature changes to the heads-up display (HUD) in order to make information easier to understand.
This remake has been rumored since 2023, when a Reddit post from an alleged ex-Virtuos employee detailed that the company was working on the project alongside a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3. Fuel was thrown on the fire of speculation when an outdated Bethesda Softworks roadmap leaked as part of the Microsoft vs. FTC hearings. This roadmap included remastered versions of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and Fallout 3, two of Bethesda Game Studios' older acclaimed titles.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion first launched on Xbox 360 and Windows PC back in 2006, with a PlayStation 3 port being released in 2007. The game was widely acclaimed, winning numerous awards and selling over 3.5 million copies as of November 2011.
An Oblivion remake would join a stacked year of Xbox titles
Citing sources, MP1st claims that this rumored Oblivion remake will not be featured in the upcoming Xbox Developer_Direct on January 23, which is set to include a closer look at some upcoming first and third-party Xbox games, including a mysterious unannounced game.
If it does launch in 2025, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remake joins a packed lineup of titles from across the different Xbox first-party publishing labels, including Obsidian's Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, Compulsion Games' South of Midnight, Playground Games' Fable, and id Software's DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Assuming it's real (which seems overwhelmingly likely) I'm curious to see exactly how far this remake goes, and how the teams at Virtuos and Bethesda Game Studios have updated it while still keeping the classic Oblivion game feel. I'm also curious about the use of Unreal Engine 5 and what it implies for the game's modding scene, given Bethesda's long focus on using a familiar custom tech stack.
Hopefully we won't be waiting too long to find out more. The findings from this remake will also presumably inform the efforts on the similarly unnannounced Fallout 3 remake, though judging by the outdated Bethesda roadmap, we'll be waiting much longer for that title to arrive.
While platforms have not been detailed, the remake will presumably launch across at least Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, as well as possibly arriving on PlayStation 5 and the also-unannounced Nintendo Switch 2. Like all Xbox first-party games, it should also be available day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
