Following the recent launch of the official Oblivion Remastered, the creators of Skyblivion are emphasizing that their ambitious, decade-long mod project transcends a mere graphical overhaul, effectively “reimagining Oblivion from its foundations.”
Skyblivion aims to rebuild the 2006 open-world RPG within Skyrim`s 2011 engine, incorporating fresh content and gameplay modifications. With its targeted 2025 release, the TESRenewal mod team addressed a common query in their latest dev diary, clarifying Skyblivion`s purpose now that the official Oblivion Remastered launched in April.
“The answer is straightforward,” states the dev diary. “Skyblivion constitutes a complete remake that fundamentally redesigns Oblivion, aligning it with contemporary RPG benchmarks. While the official remaster provides commendable texture and asset upgrades, Skyblivion integrates entirely new areas, dungeons, cities, gameplay improvements, and numerous other additions.”
Beyond simply porting Oblivion to a new engine, the developers emphasize that “every fort, home, cave, and landscape has undergone meticulous redesign.”
“We`ve injected this level of creative detail to revitalize a beloved classic, now almost two decades old,” the dev diary explains.
The remainder of the dev diary offers extensive proof supporting the team`s “full-scale remake” assertions, detailing, for instance, the reconstruction of Anvil city to include a sizable harbor and the introduction of a fresh Oblivion biome to mitigate the repetitiveness of closing Oblivion gates.
Skyblivion will also feature a complete revamp of the original game`s “unique” items. The developers observed that in the original, many unique items were merely “unique in name,” often just re-colored versions of existing gear with minor stat improvements. In Skyblivion, however, these items will be genuinely unique, boasting revised appearances and, for many weapons, new attack animations to encourage diverse playstyles.
Prior Skyblivion updates detailed the inclusion of new quests, creatures, a redesigned lockpicking minigame, original music, and updated in-game menus and UI.
While Skyblivion lacks a precise release date, the dev diary expresses the team`s confidence in meeting their 2025 release target. The mod will be available as a free download for PC users who possess both Skyrim: Special Edition and Oblivion: GOTY Deluxe.
“We`re eager to reveal more soon and get Skyblivion to players, but significant work remains to finalize key areas and ensure Skyblivion meets the quality and assurance standards fans deserve,” the video concludes.
Following the announcement of Oblivion Remastered, Skyblivion`s project lead stated that the remaster`s release was a “win-win” for the community. Subsequently, Bethesda provided complimentary copies of Oblivion Remastered to the entire Skyblivion mod team.
