Massive Morrowind mod Tamriel Rebuilt couldn’t be less worried about Bethesda going for an Oblivion-style remaster: ‘Modernising Morrowind would just ruin the game entirely’

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These are exciting times for Tamriel Rebuilt, a 24-year-old Morrowind mod that strives meticulously and with great fidelity to expand on the incomplete regions of the title province as originally envisioned by Bethesda. The team recently released Grasping Fortune, their ninth and most extensive expansion yet. This latest update introduces a vast new territory to explore, featuring Narsis, the capital city of Morrowind’s influential House Hlaalu merchant clan.

Having a conversation with PCG, the team seems more enthusiastic and eager than ever to proceed at a fast pace, even though we’re adhering to ‘volunteer-led modding project’ schedules currently. TR senior developer Cicero estimates that completion might be around 2035, but it’s just an estimate.

I’ve existed from around 2011 to 2012, and throughout this time I’ve witnessed TR in its slow and fast phases. Since 2018, we’ve been moving at a swift pace, and the speed has only increased since then, becoming faster and faster.

Cicero isn’t working all by himself; in fact, his assessment might be on the modest side. As stated by Grumbling Vomit, a character animator for TR creatures online, “I truly believe we can finish off the mainland of Morrowind within this decade,” he says. “We’ve got plenty of momentum going. It really comes down to how much effort is put into refining what’s already been created versus exploring new regions.

As a gamer, I must admit that the idea of a remastered Oblivion sounds fantastic, but it’s hard not to ponder if the developers might be feeling a tad anxious. After all, Oblivion Remastered seems to have raked in quite a fortune, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Bethesda decided to capitalize on this success by revisiting Morrowind. However, such a move could potentially divide the fanbase and divert a significant chunk of their potential audience.

Indeed, Cicero expresses his sentiment as follows: “Todd [Howard] mentioning he doesn’t want a Morrowind Remaster makes me smile, as it would potentially disrupt the game’s integrity… Refurbishing Morrowind could potentially spoil the entire game.” This viewpoint resonates deeply with me, to the extent that I penned an editorial voicing similar opinions.

Contrary to what some might expect, the release of Oblivion Remastered didn’t instill fear in our team. Instead, it was a relief because remastering Oblivion seemed less daunting than Morrowind. In fact, the arrival of Oblivion Remastered coincided with the launch of Grasping Fortune, which generated a surge of Elder Scrolls news that we found ourselves drawn into. I can vouch for this experience myself.

In essence, we can hope that Todd Howard stays true to his word about remastering Morrowind, which would keep the existing fanbase and modding community in harmony (though, of course, if he decides to fund the OpenMW team, I’d be thrilled to see it). If, however, he chooses not to, we should expect a range of emotions.

GV expresses his admiration for Morrowind as a fantastic game and suggests that others should give it a try. However, he ponders about its potential influence on the modding community. He mentions that while he may be biased, he’d prefer a fully completed Tales of Reversible Time (TR) over a visually enhanced version of Morrowind.

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2025-05-28 17:17