The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the most beloved RPGs of all time, managing to both encapsulate the challenging difficulty and unique progression systems of Bethesda's earlier RPG efforts and the slew of accessible mechanics that now dominate the genre. It's no surprise then that a remake has been rumored to be in the works, one that will bring the gorgeous and richly detailed world of Cyrodiil to life through the power of the now go-to game engine, Unreal Engine 5.

Fans have already recreated Oblivion in UE5, or at least parts of it, but this is set to be an official remake, one that brings the entire game and all of its iconic quests to a modern audience. However, while it is absolutely exciting that Oblivion is allegedly getting a remake, it could also be a bad sign for fans. An official Oblivion remake could end up stepping on the toes of a far more ambitious project and see it canceled should it end up becoming a reality.

The Oblivion Remake Is Exciting For Fans

It Will Revitalize One Of The Best RPGs

The Oblivion remake was first revealed back in 2020 in leaked FTC documents from Xbox during the controversial Activision Blizzard buyout. Back then, the documents stated that both a Fallout 3 and Oblivion remaster were due to be released in 2022, something that later never transpired. However, it is believed that these remasters - or at least the Oblivion one - were delayed in order to become full remakes, with the intention of releasing them in 2025. Since then, more and more evidence pointing to an Oblivion remake being real has come out.

Most notably, Oleksii Moskovchenko, the technical art director at the studio Virtuos, which has been rumored to be behind the Oblivion remake, posted about working on a UE5 remake on his LinkedIn profile. Of course, this remake is great news for Oblivion fans, as, while the original game is regarded as one of the greatest RPGs of all time, it can feel a little dated now. The remake will likely not only feature better visuals but offer improvements to the general gameplay to update it for those who have grown accustomed to more complex combat and quest design.

It also finally gives Nintendo fans a chance to try it out, as the remake is rumored to be coming to the Switch 2 after the original recent releases a little underwhelming. However, there is another project in the works that this remake could threaten, and it has every chance of not just releasing before Bethesda's attempt, but also beating it in every way.

Skyblivion Is A Free Mod That's Remaking Oblivion

It Has Almost Finished Production

Skyblivion is a fan-made recreation of Oblivion within Skyrim - hence the name. It has been in production for over a decade, with volunteers and fans coming together to literally recreate every asset, location, quest, enemy, and more from Oblivion while adding a slew of new features. Throughout its development, a plethora of gameplay footage and progress videos have been released, giving fans a look at what they can expect and when they can expect it, while also showcasing the many ways it is better than Oblivion.

There is a lot of new content coming to Skyblivion that never appeared in Oblivion, including new music, expanded cities, and pieces of cut content from the original game. This will make it the definitive version of Oblivion, as it will offer a more expansive experience while still retaining all the quests and mechanics that made Oblivion so great in the first place. All players will need to install and play Skyblivion is a legitimate copy of Oblivion GOTY Deluxe Edition and Skyrim: Special Edition, both of which are either frequently on sale or already sold for a reduced price.

The mod itself, like all mods, is completely free, meaning that people who want to experience its expanded version of Cyrodil with improved visuals that are even better than vanilla Skyrim won't have a small, if any, entry cost. This is in stark contrast to an officially produced AAA UE5 remake of Oblivion, which, at the very least, will cost around $40, although it is far more likely to cost upwards of $70. So, it is hard to imagine that, should the remake be real and release after or even slightly before Skyblivion, Bethesda would be happy.

Bethesda's Oblivion Remake Could Come At The Cost Of Skyblivion

It Might Shut The Mod Down To Avoid Hurting Sales

If the Oblivion remake ends up being real and Bethesda charge a lot of money for it, then there's a possibility that the entirely free Skyblivion mod could be shut down in order to avoid potential competition. Of course, there are a lot of reasons to feel reassured that Bethesda would do the right thing and keep Skyblivion up. For example, a lot of players aren't aware of Skyblivion or may not be well-versed in the modding scene and would rather invest money in the official remake to avoid having to deal with ing and installing a mod.

Additionally, Bethesda has always been encouraging of its modding community and has acknowledged just how important it is to its games. Skyrim has only remained in the zeitgeist this long thanks to the hard work of its modders. However, while Bethesda may leave Skyblivion alone, should it become successful, then it would have a good reason to put an end to it. Mods like Fallout London don't pose as big of an issue, despite being better than Bethesda's games and ones that completely change the game, because Bethesda has no plans to release its own version of them.

However, if Skyblivion begins taking sales away from Bethesda, as it's a free alternative, then it may consider having it removed. This would, naturally, be a huge blow to fans, especially if the remake fails to add the many innovative changes that Skyblivion has promised fans. Of course, it's worth noting that, from a completely legal perspective, Skyblivion has every right to exist. The developers have purposefully rebuilt everything from scratch so that it doesn't infringe on any copyright issues. Furthermore, Bethesda doesn't have a track record of taking down mods, even when they're more popular than the base game.

That doesn't mean it's above removing it if it deems it a threat, but it is likely that Bethesda will simply leave it alone and just avoid promoting it. Ultimately, this is an issue of poor timing more than anything. The team behind Skyblivion has taken a long time to develop it thanks to a lack of funding and volunteers, and Bethesda's rumored Oblivion remake is gearing up for a launch when hype for its games is at a low point. However, should both games find a way to coexist, then Oblivion fans will be happy in 2025 and beyond.

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