A new rumor suggests that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake could be mere days from its announcement and launch. New leaker Detective Seeds tweeted (two days ago, so it’s not an April Fools’ joke) that the launch could come as soon as Thursday, April 3, or maybe next week, according to his source. Detective Seeds doesn’t have a long track record, but he did get a couple of things right: the PlayStation 5 release date of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and the fact that DOOM previews dropped yesterday. He also suggested that Ghost of Yotei might launch in July, by the way. We’ll see if he’s right about either of them.
As for the Oblivion remake, though, there are other sources pointing in that direction. Both proven insider NatetheHate and VideoGamesChronicle said the game would launch in April, with the former also adding that it could be shadow-dropped, meaning the announcement and launch would happen at the same time. It would, however, be a little surprising since Xbox has South of Midnight (out next week) and then the aforementioned PS5 debut of the Indiana Jones game.
The Oblivion remake is said to be powered by Unreal Engine 5 technology and developed by Virtuos. According to a previous report from MP1st, the remake will deliver enhancements in six main gameplay areas (other than the obvious visuals): Stamina, Sneak, Blocking, Archery, Hit Reaction, and HUD.
Blocking has reportedly been inspired by the Soulslike genre and other modern action games. Sneak has also been overhauled and its damage formula has been reworked. The stamina system was tweaked to make it less frustrating for players; for example, the knockdown that used to happen when you ran out of stamina should occur less often.
The HUD (Heads-Up Display) has been modified to make it more accessible and visually interesting. In combat, hit reactions have been introduced to improve the response to damage inflicted on both the player character and non-player characters (NPCs). Last but not least, Virtuos has improved archery so that it feels smoother whether the user is playing with the third or first person camera.
The Oblivion remake comes in the same year as Skyblivion, the long-awaited fan-made total conversion of The Elder Scrolls IV into the engine of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. There should be enough adventures in Cyrodiil for everyone in 2025.
