The Elder Scroll games by Bethesda Game Studios are well-known by video game fans worldwide, especially The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is still played by gamers worldwide despite having originally launched in 2011.
Also popular was its predecessor The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which won numerous game of the year awards in the year of its release. So it’s not surprising that people have been clamoring for a remaster or remake of Oblivion, even if Bethesda said back in the day that this would amount to making a new game, and therefore wouldn’t be happening.
However, an intrepid group of users have been working on an Oblivion remake called “Skyblivion” since 2012. This is being made as a user modification (or “mod” for short) for Skyrim using Bethesda’s modding tools, so it runs on Skyrim’s game engine.
This means that the people behind Skyblivion (which forms part of the TES Renewal project) can take advantage of Skyrim’s game engine to deliver a better-looking and better-playing version of Oblivion.
And this appears to be the case judging by the trailer below, in which the Skyblivion team has also revealed a release year – if not an exact date – for the game.
Everything in the trailer will be familiar to anyone who played Oblivion back in the day: the Imperial City and its majestic tower, Oblivion gates, goblins of various types, fearsome trolls, sinister caves and dungeons to explore and get lost in…
The thing is, while this certainly looks better than you remember it, it’s still looking pretty dated. Skyrim-era 2011 graphics just don’t cut it anymore these days. Also, Skyblivion’s release year of 2025 is disheartening, although judging by the words of Skyblivion’s project lead (who goes by the handle “Rebelsize”) the mod will have an early 2025 release date.
“2 years to wrap things up and get it into your hands. Its been a crazy ride but we are confident we can do it. Personally I think we can beat our estimates but as per usual it depends on how much free time we can spend on our hobby project and how many people sign up to help out after this video”, said the man in YouTube comments.
Nonetheless, it’s nice to know that Skyblivion hasn’t got lost in development hell, and that like other high-profile modding projects like Black Mesa, it will see the light of day. The thing is if there will be any interest in this come 2025? Bethesda’s Starfield will have come and gone by then, and the company will already be teasing its highly anticipated Elder Scrolls 6 game come that day… Hopefully, though, the Skyblivion team can somehow polish this as much as possible to make it worth diving into come its release date in 2025.
Read more: ‘Skyblivion‘ developer video showcases progress on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake