This should really have come as no surprise to anyone out there, but it’s official- The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered (which is really more of remake in all but name, but sure, let’s stick with the official name) is a hit. It’s exactly as big of a hit as you would expect from a major new Elder Scrolls release. Within roughly half a week of its release earlier this month, Bethesda announced that it had been played by more than four million players across all platforms. Meanwhile, over on Steam, the game has seen a peak of over 216,000 concurrent players, in spite of the fact that it is also available via the Windows Store and, of course, PC Game Pass- indicating just how vast of an audience the open world action RPG is attracting.
It is worth acknowledging that Oblivion Remastered didn’t release under ordinary circumstances, because in many ways, those circumstances make its immediate success that much more impressive. Rumours had strongly suggested that a remaster or a remake of the beloved 2006 Bethesda RPG was in the works, and at a certain point, it started looking increasingly likely that it would release at some point in spring 2025. Rumours and speculation then narrowed that down to a shadow drop at some point in late April, and lo and behold, on April 22, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, developed by Bethesda Game Studios and Virtuos, saw a simultaneous reveal and release on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, priced at $50 and available on Game Pass.
In many ways, its release is similar to 2023’s Metroid Prime Remastered– another game that was clearly more of a remake than a remaster, contrary to its official name, which was shadow dropped at a lower price and ended up successfully modernizing a beloved classic without making too many drastic changes to the core experience. That said, The Elder Scrolls has obviously always been a significantly more of a commercial beast than Metroid (by several orders of magnitude, in fact), which is very much being reflected in Oblivion Remastered’s incredible player numbers in its early days immediately after release.
But why exactly is it, other than the plain and simple fact that this is a major new Elder Scrolls release, that Oblivion Remastered has got off to such an impressive start? There are multiple factors at play, as is ever the case- the first being that this is a major new Elder Scrolls release at this time. Skyrim was the series’ last major instalment, and it came out in 2011, close to a decade and a half ago. Demand for a new Elder Scrolls game is higher than it has ever been in the series’ lifetime, and with The Elder Scrolls 6 still clearly at least a handful of years away, clearly, that demand was only going to go higher. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered’s release at this point, then, is nothing short of perfectly timed.
It also helps that it is Oblivion that has received the comprehensive remaster treatment (or the conservative remake treatment, depending on how you want to look at it). Syrim has become infamous for how many times it has been re-released, remastered, ported, or what have you, while Oblivion falls on almost the exact opposite end of the spectrum. It’s almost 20 years old at this point, and old and aged enough that it really would benefit from upgrades to its gameplay, tech, visuals, and more. Bethesda has also left the game pretty much untouched since its release, with virtually no re-releases. It’s really no surprise, then, that so many have jumped on the chance to play an enhanced and updated version of an older classic.
And it really is enhanced and updated. Seriously, I cannot stress enough just how little justice the “Remastered” in the game’s title does to how significantly it upgrades the base experience. A switch to Unreal Engine 5; a complete overhaul of the visuals with new and improved lighting, shadows, reflections, water effects, environment density, revamped character and enemy models, and much more; improvements on the gameplay front to the progression and the level scaling; and quality of life changes, such as the overhauled UI- the list of improvements and changes that Oblivion Remastered makes to the original game is a long one. It’s obviously still Oblivion, and many of the original’s technical limitations and aged elements have been brought over as is – like its glitchy nature, or how empty its cities and world can often feel, or the fact that the map isn’t fully seamless – but it’s far more of a comprehensive upgrade than you would expect from a game with Remastered in its name.
What that means is that it serves as a great way not only to re-experience Oblivion for returning fans, but also as a great way for new ones to play it for the first time ever. Those who have explored Cyrodiil in the past will find themselves at one in a comfortably familiar experience that smartly enhances the game without making too many fundamental changes. Meanwhile, the changes that it does make – which are by no means shallow or cosmetic in nature, certainly not when taken together – help polish and modernize the experience enough that new players won’t find it too archaic of an experience.
In fact, going back to Oblivion almost highlights some of the more unfortunate ways that Skyrim streamlined and simplified the Elder Scrolls formula. Make no mistake, Skyrim is obviously an absolute masterpiece, and streamlined or not, it is the sort of game that you can lost yourself in for hundreds upon hundreds of hours. But take its progression mechanics, for instance, which in Skyrim feel like they are almost on autopilot, whereas in Oblivion, they feel significantly more involved, and offer players far greater control over their character’s built and progression.
All of which is to say that Oblivion Remastered has arrived at the exact right time. The long drought of Elder Scrolls releases created massive demand for something new – for anything new – and Bethesda chose to meet that demand for an enhanced re-release of a beloved classic that perfectly toes the line between remaster and remake. All of these factors have come together to create the perfect storm. Given these circumstances, it really is no surprise that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has enjoyed the spectacular start that it has- especially as an Elder Scrolls game that has released at a cheaper price (and is also available via Game Pass).
Shadow drops are often considered risky, and of course, depending on the situation, they obviously can be- but it’s fair to say that Microsoft and Bethesda handled Oblivion Remastered’s shadow drop perfectly. The impressive player numbers that it is enjoying and the acclaim that it has garnered from players and critics alike should serve as ample evidence of that. Whether Microsoft and Bethesda will follow up on the success of Oblivion Remastered with other similar projects remains to be seen, but one would certainly hope that they do. Luckily enough, rumours seem to be indicating that a remaster of 2008’s Fallout 3 is also in the pipeline- here’s hoping that that turns out to be accurate. Either way, for now, we’re happy to get lost in the vast expanses of Cyrodiil yet again.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
