In a special stream today, Bethesda reminisced about the creation of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion before dropping that the remaster is available TODAY!
After multiple leaks and rumours, Bethesda finally copped to working on the Oblivion Remaster, and today is the day we can all get our hands on it. In a 20-minute stream, we heard from Oblivion veterans like Studio Head and Creative Director, Todd Howard, Studio Art Director Matt Carofano, Managing Director, Ashley Cheng, and Senior Character Artist Christiane Meister as they talked about the history of Oblivion and what it means for the studio nearly 20 years later.
“Oblivion was a real defining moment in the series and for how we make games as a studio,” said Howard, and as a massive Elder Scrolls and specifically Oblivion fan, I can confidently say it was a defining moment for many of us as gamers, too. With more than 590,000 people watching the Bethesda channel’s stream, people have been clamouring for this remaster.
The stream went on to introduce Virtuos, the dev team that has been working on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster. After being welcomed to Paris by the team, they discussed the relationship they have with Bethesda and what has gone on with the Oblivion Remaster.
Everything has been rebuilt from the ground up, including lighting, UX, UI, gameplay, and audio. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster is built on Unreal Engine 5, but in explaining how important the original is to the team, they described the original Oblivion Engine as the brain, and Unreal Engine 5 as the body of this brand-new game.
Players can expect new contact animations, like blood spatter, sparks and even controller feedback in the Remaster. The team has even reworked the levelling system, bringing the best parts of Oblivion and Skyrim together. Both Bethesda and Virtuos make it clear that parts of the core experience of Oblivion, like quirky dialogue, lockpicking and more, will remain refreshed, but the same.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster will include The Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine expansions, so players will get the full experience. The remaster will come in two versions, regular and deluxe. The regular version runs at $66.99 CAD or $49.99 USD and includes the following:
- Digital base game
- Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine story expansions
- Additional downloadable content: Fighter’s Stronghold expansion, Spell Tome Treasures, Vile Lair, Mehrune’s Razor, The Thieves Den, Wizard’s Tower, Orrery, and Horse Pack Armour
The deluxe version is $79.99 CAD or $59.99 USD, and it includes the following:
- Digital base game
- Unique digital Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon Armours, Weapons, and Horse Armour Sets
- Digital Artbook and Soundtrack App
- Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine story expansions
- Additional downloadable content: Fighter’s Stronghold expansion, Spell Tome Treasures, Vile Lair, Mehrune’s Razor, The Thieves Den, Wizard’s Tower, Orrery, and Horse Pack Armour
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster is available on Xbox Series X|S, Steam, PS5, PC Game Pass and Game Pass, though it is worth noting that at the time of writing, the CGM staff can’t seem to locate it on Xbox Game Pass.
“Every time we think about Oblivion, it’s ‘What if we could give that moment to everyone again?'” – Todd Howard
