With rumors of an Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster in the works, it could show what The Elder Scrolls 6 will be like visually and mechanically.
Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim may be one of the series’ best games, but it’s hard to forget The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. In light of that, it’s good to hear rumors that a remaster of the beloved Oblivion is in the works. While the Oblivion remaster is indeed only rumored to be happening, it would be a smart move for Bethesda to make, especially with the news that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still at least a couple of years away.
If an Oblivion remaster truly is in the works, it would be the perfect opportunity for Bethesda to showcase what The Elder Scrolls 6 could be like, not only from a visual perspective, but from a gameplay perspective as well. Even though Oblivion is now nearly two decades old, it may very well be the perfect time to receive an upgrade and pave the way for the next mainline installment to Bethesda’s immensely popular role-playing series.
How an Oblivion Remaster Could Be an Early Showcase for The Elder Scrolls 6
An Oblivion Remaster Could Utilize The Elder Scrolls 6’s Engine
The Elder Scrolls 6 is almost guaranteed to be a visual masterpiece, considering the technological advancements that have been made since the release of Skyrim in 2011. To ensure that happens, Bethesda is developing the next mainline installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise using its Creation Engine 2, the second iteration of the engine that was used to create Skyrim. The Creation Engine 2 was also used to build Starfield, which displayed some incredibly striking visuals. As such, Creation Engine 2 could also be used to rebuild the rumored Oblivion remaster.
Oblivion‘s original engine, Gamebryo, served as a basis for Skyrim‘s Creation Engine, so porting Oblivion to Creation Engine 2 isn’t entirely improbable. That being said, it would more than likely need a thoroughly extensive remaster to use an engine that is almost twenty years younger than Gamebryo. Due to Oblivion‘s glaringly obvious age, however, it wouldn’t make sense for Bethesda to only moderately upgrade its graphics anyway, so it would be more likely to use Creation Engine 2 to ensure The Elder Scrolls 4 can hold its own against modern competition. If an Oblivion remaster was built using Creation Engine 2, it could give fans an early look at The Elder Scrolls 6‘s visuals.
An Oblivion Remaster Would Likely Need to Be More Than a Visual Makeover
Although the term “remaster” often chiefly indicates a visual makeover, Oblivion‘s mechanics and quality of life are very dated at this point. Unless those features received an extensive overhaul in a remaster, it risks a poor reception by critics and fans. A shining example of that notion is the recent Gargoyles Remastered, which didn’t bring anything to the table other than updated visuals and wound up garnering an overall negative reception.
An Oblivion remaster would also need to be more than a visual makeover and include a host of quality-of-life improvements to keep up with the standards set by modern games and expectations. Any gameplay improvements and additions introduced in an Oblivion remaster could thus serve as an early sign of what is to come in The Elder Scrolls 6, especially in light of the fact that both games take place in the same universe and therefore essentially follow the same rules.
It’s currently unclear what The Elder Scrolls 6 will bring to the franchise, as it is only in its early stages of development. However, if the rumors are true and Bethesda is planning to release a remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, it could be a great way for the developer to market The Elder Scrolls 6 ahead of time by providing players with a first look, so to speak, at the highly anticipated installment’s visuals and gameplay mechanics.
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