Modder remaking Oblivion in Skyrim says the 13-year project “has already paid off tenfold,” plans for “bug fixes and the DLC” are set, and Oblivion Remastered “changes nothing”

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The updated version of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, a stunningly revamped game from Bethesda Game Studios’ 2006 RPG, has arrived. However, what impact might this unexpected launch have on fan-created projects such as Skyblivion?

Over time, The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project has significantly advanced from its initial recreation of Morrowind using Oblivion’s engine, known as Morroblivion, which was first released in 2010. Currently, the modders are working on two massive projects: Skyblivion and Skywind. These projects strive to accurately rebuild Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls games set before Skyrim within the more modern Creation Engine used in the fifth entry.

For nearly 10 years, projects like Skyblivion and Skywind have been under development. However, the long wait seems to be nearing its end since Skyblivion is slated for release in 2025. Despite Bethesda and Virtuos Games working on an official remaster of Oblivion, the team behind The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project remains undeterred. In a recent conversation with GamesRadar+, Rebelzize, the main developer of Skyblivion, acknowledges that they are not fazed by this development.

Based on the report from the Skyblivion mastermind, it seems that the response from the fans involved in the project has been predominantly optimistic. In fact, they even gathered for a lively discussion about the unveiling on a Discord call, and it turned out to be quite enjoyable.

How might Oblivion Remastered influence the timeline or strategy of the Skyblivion team’s project? However, as Rebelzize points out, it seems that it won’t have a significant impact – in truth, The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project’s targeted release year of 2025 remains unaltered too.

He clarifies that the current situation doesn’t alter their original plans; they still aim to launch it this year. There’s certainly room for Skyblivion and Oblivion Remastered in the same space, particularly for Elder Scrolls enthusiasts who are eagerly awaiting The Elder Scrolls 6. As Rebelzize points out, “I believe there’s a place for both a remake and a remaster” this year.

The lead of Skyblivion shares that they have invested considerable time and energy into reimagining various elements of the game, expressing great confidence in their work. They note that even if the outcome in the future doesn’t meet expectations, the experience and connections made during the project have already been immensely valuable. Essentially, they feel that the project has returned ten times its investment for them, as it provided opportunities to learn and make new friends, and the release of the game is merely an added perk.

Looking ahead, things seem quite promising. Once the highly anticipated launch of Skyblivion happens for the Elder Scrolls community, Rebelzize assures us that there’s more to look forward to from their team: “We plan to continue addressing bugs and working on DLC following the release.

Reflecting on revisiting Knights of the Nine and The Shivering Isles scenarios, now with the engine used in Fallout 4 and Skyrim, really gets me excited!

Rebelzize comments, “Beyond this point, only time can reveal what transpires.” Could there be a future collaboration with Oblivion Remastered? It’s uncertain – however, given the leader of The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project’s statements, anything seems plausible. Unsurprisingly, the team remains undeterred by Bethesda’s official remaster, instead sharing in the enthusiasm of fans.

Last week, creators of the upcoming fan projects announced that both projects, Oblivion Remastered and Skyblivion, can coexist. They stated that players are ultimately the ones who benefit since both games will release in the same year. In a previous interview with us, Rebelzize mentioned that Skyblivion has always been a project driven by passion and continues to be so until the end. He also noted that the release of Oblivion Remastered won’t affect his dedication to Skyblivion in any way.

As an avid gamer and longtime fan of The Elder Scrolls series, particularly its fourth iconic entry, I can’t help but feel like the real winners in this situation are us players. Rediscovering the game after the Oblivion Remastered release has been a treat, yet it doesn’t diminish my excitement for Skyblivion. It appears that the project’s team is relishing the official remaster too, as each member was provided with a key for the new RPG by Bethesda.

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2025-04-26 20:10