There’s a big update to that long-rumored remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Rumors that a remake was in production date back to 2023. Notably, because it was using some assets from the original game, and also used some new assets, it was somewhere in the middle of a remake and a remaster. It was also rumored that it was being made by Virtuos, a veteran of remakes and remasters who is also currently working on Metal Gear Solid Delta.
Most recently, the rumors were updated that Virtuos had transitioned to a full remake based on Unreal 5. That was at the start of this year, and now, it seems that not only are these rumors real, but we’re about to get an announcement soon.
NateDrake AKA NateTheHate shared this rumor when asked by a fellow Twitter user:
“Either this month or next month. Release is likely to be sooner than the original June target; but still working to get details on an updated release date.”
Video Games Chronicle corroborated Nate’s rumor about the game’s pending announcement with their own sources. But their source is even more aggressive on the release date, claiming that it’s actually coming this April. If that’s true, that would be an unusually aggressive release schedule for Microsoft, and they may be better off choosing to delay it.
As things stand, Microsoft already has South of Midnight releasing this April 8, and Doom: The Dark Ages releasing on May 15. To a lesser degree, Microsoft also has to consider Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. While this game is not an Xbox exclusive, Microsoft clearly made a deal to market it for their platforms. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is Day One on Game Pass Ultimate, so Microsoft certainly has some money in it too. It releases on April 24.
As we have talked about before, this is the sort of thing people call a problem you want to have. Nonetheless, Microsoft must be strategic about how they schedule their game releases so that they don’t cannibalize each other’s sales. Certainly, Microsoft is also thinking about the possible release of Grand Theft Auto 6, because any games that are released too close to it are likely to be forgotten in the shuffle.
Whatever date it does release, an Oblivion remake will definitely be a big deal for older Bethesda fans, and it may open the door for remakes of even older games in their library. We don’t know if they’re interested in going all the way back to the start with The Elder Scrolls: Arena, but Bethesda could certainly round up the story they’ve been telling for the last four decades.
