Like a rumor gleaned from a drunken Argonian in The Bannered Mare, the much-talked-about Oblivion Remastered has surprisingly turned out to be a real thing, having suddenly shadow dropped earlier today. While the Virtuous-developed project has indeed leaked more times than the Ghost Ship of Anvil, it’s nigh on impossible to think of a project that has been long overdue for the remaster treatment. Clocking in at an eye-watering 123 GB, which is — checks notes — 26 times the size of the original, the world of Cyrodiil has been given a welcome shot in the arm (or should I say leg, ahem), thanks to the modern tech of Unreal Engine 5.
While many changes have been made to the graphical fidelity of the much-loved 2006 classic, there were some adjustments made to the core combat system as well. Taking cues from Dark Souls, the Singapore-based studio has taken the RPG’s aging blocking system and refined it to help satiate modern audiences. But outside of the plethora of tweaks and improvements, one thing stands as tall as a giant ripped straight out of Ysgramor: the clever way the game was secretly developed behind the scenes and shadow released like a mic drop at the end of a Todd Howard acceptance speech.
Indeed, while we’ve seen similar strategies employed during awards shows, and witnessed Fallout 4 go from announcement to release day in a matter of months, it’s clear that quietly toiling away on one of the most beloved fantasy RPGs in the gaming stratosphere, and then just dropping it without so much of a whisper is definitely a perfect way to capitalise on all the hype and excitement of a day one release.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I totally understand how keeping massive projects like these under wraps for years on end is a tall order for any studio. But compared to the traditional gaming news cycle, where titles are announced way too early and we’re left waiting and waiting — I’m looking at you Elder Scrolls 6! — it just seems so painfully obvious that this should be a strategy that more developers employ to boost the excitement for its projects going forward. Or maybe I’m just really impatient or something. But I can’t be the only one, right?
