The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the most acclaimed games in Bethesda’s library, but it is definitely showing its age more than 14 years since it released. A group of developers is looking to fix that with the Skyblivion project, which reimagines Oblivion as if it were made in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s engine. As you can see in the video below, the results are very impressive so far.
In development in one form or another since 2012, Skyblivion is the complete Oblivion experience remade in the Skyrim engine. That includes all DLC packs, all weapons, all quests, and all locations. The mod is free, but you must own Oblivion and Skyrim already, along with their DLC expansions, in order to run it. Though Bethesda does support mods on consoles, it’s only available on PC.
It isn’t just transferring game data into a new engine, though. The team also used existing lore and some creative license to improve on areas it found underwhelming in the original Oblivion. Interior areas are getting a particularly large overhaul to more accurately portray the world, with shops showing what items are on sale, and caves will house mines and goblins. With the first pass of the overworld nearly done, the team is moving forward on places like inns and shops.
Monsters and creatures have gone through a similar level of care, recreating them and adding some extra flair to make them fit in Skyblivion. You should still recognize them, but they’ll look more like you remember them than what they actually looked like.
Skyblivion isn’t close to a final release yet, but with the amount of time we’ll likely be waiting for The Elder Scrolls VI, it will still serve as an impressive project to tide us over. You can learn more on the mod’s official website.
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