"Remakes Key to Bethesda's Revival, Oblivion Shows"

By Azura, by Azura, by Azura – the rumors were true. Yesterday, Bethesda set the internet ablaze by finally unveiling Virtuos' remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This surprise shadow-drop during an 'Elder Scrolls Direct' event instantly drew in hundreds of thousands of concurrent players, marking a moment of global excitement and celebration. This comes at a crucial time for Bethesda Game Studios, which has been navigating a storm of challenges in recent years. From the rocky launch of Fallout 76 to the lukewarm reception of Starfield, fans have been questioning whether Bethesda has lost its touch. With fierce competition from RPGs like Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3 and Obsidian's The Outer Worlds, both of which have been hailed as spiritual successors to Elder Scrolls and Fallout, Bethesda's upcoming titles, Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5, are still years away. However, this re-release of Oblivion might just be the step forward Bethesda needs, albeit in an unexpected direction.

At its peak, Bethesda Game Studios was a powerhouse in the RPG genre. According to leaked Microsoft FTC documents from 2020, Fallout 4 had sold 25 million units, with over 5 million units sold in its first week alone, as reported by VGChartz. In 2023, Todd Howard announced that Skyrim had surpassed 60 million sales, though multiple re-releases certainly contributed to this figure. In contrast, Starfield has only managed to sell just over three million units a year and a half after its launch. Even considering Game Pass subscribers and the absence of a PlayStation version, this must be a disappointment for Bethesda. The Starfield community, while dedicated, is smaller than those of The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, and even they have expressed dissatisfaction with the game's first expansion, Shattered Space.

This situation presents a significant challenge for Bethesda. With The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 still years away, how can this once-iconic RPG developer rekindle the magic for its fanbase? The answer may lie in revisiting its past.

Rumors of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster surfaced in September 2023, following leaked Microsoft documents that hinted at several unannounced Bethesda projects, including a remaster of the 2006 classic. The buzz grew in January 2025 when a former Virtuos employee leaked more details, sparking debates among Elder Scrolls fans about the authenticity of the information. The excitement reached a fever pitch last week when Bethesda officially announced the remaster, leading to over 6.4 million Google searches for 'The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion' and a 713% increase in searches over the past week. At its peak, Bethesda's reveal livestream attracted over half a million viewers. Despite the leaks, or perhaps because of them, more than 600,000 people tuned in to see the re-reveal of a 19-year-old game. The demand was so high that it caused discount game key websites like CDKeys to crash, while Fanatical and Green Man Gaming experienced significant slowdowns. As of yesterday, Steam reported 125,000 concurrent players, with the game topping the best-seller list. The enthusiasm for Oblivion among Bethesda fans is as intense as the flames that pour from the Oblivion gates.

The message from players is clear: if you (re)build it, they will come. What better way to keep fans engaged during these long development periods than to invite them back to the mysterious isles of Morrowind or the post-apocalyptic landscapes of the East Coast? From a commercial perspective, this strategy is sound. While Bethesda's main team works on new projects, trusted partners like Virtuos can use existing blueprints to create remasters in shorter time frames. These remasters tap into established audiences and introduce new generations to the rich worlds of Tamriel and the Fallout universe.

Bethesda has already demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. During the first season of the Fallout TV show on Prime Video, Fallout 4 was discounted by up to 75%, accompanied by a timely next-gen update that included homages to the show. As a result, Fallout 4 sales surged by over 7,500% in Europe alone, despite the game being nearly a decade old.

Oblivion Remastered offers a visit to the past that looks like the future. Image credit: Bethesda / Virtuos

Looking back at Microsoft's leaked Bethesda roadmap, many noted that a Fallout 3 remaster was slated to follow Oblivion two years later. Although the original timelines have shifted – Oblivion was initially planned for fiscal year 2022 – if the original gaps hold true, a Fallout 3 remake could be on the horizon for 2026, coinciding with the second season of the Fallout TV show. Given the show's shift to New Vegas, could Bethesda be planning a surprise New Vegas remake? The synchronicity between the first season of the show and Fallout 4's aesthetic suggests that Bethesda might be planning something even more ambitious for the New Vegas-centric second season. After shadow-dropping Oblivion, it's not out of the realm of possibility that a New Vegas Remastered trailer could be waiting at the end of Fallout Season 2's finale.

The message from players is clear: if you (re)build it, they will come. However, if there's one game in Bethesda's back catalog that truly deserves a remake, it's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Fans have been clamoring for this for years, with some even remaking Morrowind using Skyrim's tools, as seen in projects like Skyblivion. Yet, Morrowind poses unique challenges for a remake. It stands at the crossroads of Bethesda's evolution, built differently from modern Elder Scrolls games. It's only partially voiced, with much of the story conveyed through text, no quest markers, and no combat physics. While Virtuos managed to update some of Oblivion's more cumbersome systems, Morrowind's entire framework is a complex system. This is why it's beloved by many, but also why it's difficult to remake. Remaking Morrowind is a delicate balance – modernize it too much, and you risk losing its original charm; leave too many outdated systems, and it could feel like a frustrating experience.

When a studio becomes synonymous with a gaming sub-genre, the challenge is to innovate while retaining its audience. Rockstar Games has kept Grand Theft Auto players engaged for over a decade with the ever-evolving GTA Online, which supports the massive budget for GTA 6. Bethesda's strength lies in its richly detailed, expansive single-player worlds, unlike the multiplayer-focused Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76. The overwhelming response to Virtuos' Oblivion remaster shows that gamers are eager to revisit Bethesda's classic titles. While not every remaster is guaranteed success – as seen with Rockstar's GTA Definitive Editions – this particular remaster demonstrates careful consideration and skilled development. For Bethesda, breathing new life into old classics could be the key to reclaiming its throne in the modern RPG landscape.