Introduction: The previous years saw many game development studios – in particular the biggest AAA companies – reach back into their library for new releases. That resulted in a tidal wave of remade, remastered, and rebooted titles that resided on the appeal and strengths of established franchises. At the same time, many gamers felt bitter about this trend, believing that companies are trying to maximize their profits at the expense of creating new and original games. Recently, Bethesda released its Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered too much crucial and commercial success. This game shows that a fine balance of old and new can be found and possibly shows the best way forward for similar future projects.
Article: It has been nearly 20 years since the original Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion came out. This game came out in 2006 as the fourth installment of the series. Prior to it, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowing set a significant number of pillars that will come to defy the action-RPG genre, especially for games that are set in the first-person perspective. Before these titles, the early 2000s saw a big expansion of first-person shooters, mainly due to the technology that allowed for their development. On one side, game development tools like 3D engines offered the spatial design needed for such games, while the audience began buying graphic cards and GPUs a lot more. But, even though the shooter genre felt natural in the third dimension, RPGs often had issues with more tactical, melee-based combat.
Here, Bethesda, along with other studios, managed to bridge that issue and create role-playing games that were just as fun to play in their action parts as they were in their system-based gameplay. Oblivion was made at the moment when both technology and the know-how of developers allowed for smooth, incredibly engaging experiences for all RPG fans, no matter if they otherwise preferred old-school isometric perspective or the more modern, fast-paced FPS gaming. This, along with many excellent aspects, allowed Oblivion to become an instant hit and carve out a big part of the RPG video game history. Due to this, it is no wonder that Bethesda took on the process of remastering the same game nearly two decades after it first came out. However, the success of this release, which became available for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox console gamers at the end of April 2025, shows that the studio once more managed to hit a home run with Oblivion.
Remake or Remaster
The first impression that many players and reviewers had when they tried out the new Oblivion was a simple dilemma. Is the project a remaster or a full remake of the game? According to the studios making the game, it is most definitely a remaster. In theory, that should mean that the game has been graphically updated to an HD resolution and gained other visual improvements. However, many remastered projects, including big series like Dark Souls or Mass Effect, left players with results that are very similar to their original works. That is not the case with Oblivion. Bethesda, along with their partners at Virtuos, create a gorgeous world that looks brand new. One of the reasons for that is the use of the very powerful Unreal Engine 5 and its ray tracking, lumen, and nanite technologies. Aside from that, the players also feel that the effort invested in the project goes above and beyond a simple visual uphaul.
Gameplay Upgrades
The team at Virtuos improves the graphics of Oblivion, but also the way the game feels while playing it. Here, the entire combat system attained a big update, starting with the physics of weapon movement and going much deeper. All NPCs gained an AI-based upgrade in terms of their behavior and how they fit into the wider world of Oblivion, including some elements of casualty and cross-character influences. Furthermore, even the game’s menus and UIs have been changed and improved, which was not necessary by any means. Many gamers are noting that not one part of the old UI/UX remained in the new version of the game. The developers even touched upon the game’s leveling system that introduces elements of Skyrim’s principles – this alone added most likely months of work, as well as the risk of things not functioning properly. Lastly, the new version of Oblivion even has a third-person camera mode that is now fully operational and working as intended.
Strong Reception
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered did not attain a huge marketing package. While the game was not developed clandestinely, its promotion missed many bells and whistles that big studio releases usually have. Despite this, the game’s reception has been nothing short of stellar. On Steam, the game has an 82 percent positive rating. On Metacticis, it has a generally favorable aggregate review, while the same stands at 100 percent on the OpenCritic portal. Player numbers are very impressive as well – the current Steam record for peak concurrent players stands at 205,000. Oblivion took just 72 hours to reach the benchmark of 4 million units sold. These numbers would be awe-inspiring for a new game, but they are even more so when it is considered that Oblivion is technically a decades-old release, now wrapped in new packaging.
Price, Nostalgia, and Quality
There is another element that took a big part in the success of the Oblivion Remastered’s success – the game is priced at 50 USD. It had additional perks in terms of price, with its Steam launch opening up with a 17 percent discount. Clearly, gamers appreciated the more affordable price tag. But, behind all of that, the developers understood that their target audience wanted to see a coherent mixture of old and celebrated elements of Oblivion, but now dressed up in a more modern look and just as importantly, feel. That process managed to bank on the nostalgic sense around the Elder Scrolls series, but the actual selling point was its overall level of quality. The same quality is seen in everything, from the Unreal capabilities to the game’s textures and its NPCs. Because of that, any studio looking to remake or reboot its old franchise could assess The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered as a more or less perfect example of how to do things for the best possible results.
Oblivion Remastered is available on Steam
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia