To the surprise of many, Bethesda Softworks and Virtuos Ltd shadow droppedThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remasteredfor the PlayStation 5, Steam, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S digital platforms. While rumors of a remaster or remake of 2006’sThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionhave persisted for several months, most players were still surprised byThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered’s sudden and rather modest release, with no official advertising before the game’s release. Thanks to an Unreal Engine 5 overhaul of the title’s graphics and gameplay,Elder Scrollsplayers new and old can return to Cyrodiil and the planes of Oblivion like never before. Despite this positive reception, Bethesda should strive to releaseOblivion Remasteredphysically to make this event truly great.
The History of Oblivion Physical and Digital Releases
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionwas one of the earliest breakout hits for the Xbox 360, releasing exclusively for the console and Windows computers in early 2006, just four months after the 360’s launch. With its expansive fantasy world, enthralling gameplay, and often comedic NPC interactions, as well as a 4.6 GB file size, the original form ofOblivionquickly sold millions of copiesand earned numerous awards. These achievements swiftly motivated Bethesda, Superscape, and Vir2L Studios to release a digital mobile phone version ofOblivionin mid 2006, followed by Ubisoft publishing a PlayStation 3 version ofOblivionin early 2007. WhileOblivion’s physical releases made up the bulk of its initial sales, the game quickly became popular on digital storefronts such as the Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam.
For better or for worse, Bethesda ensuredOblivion’s continued relevance throughout the late 2000s with the debut of several DLCs, such as the notorious Horse Armor Pack, the Knights of the Nine expansion,the Shivering Isles expansion, and various content packs in 2006 and 2007. This content was primarily sold digitally, but gamers without consistent access to the internet were soon able to accessOblivion’s DLCs and improved versions of the game physically through the 2007 Game of the Year Edition, the 2011 5th Anniversary Edition, and Greatest/Platinum Hits editions. Players were additionally able to accessOblivionphysically with double packs released alongside Bethesda’s similarly popularFallout 3and 2K’sBioShock.
No physical versions ofOblivionwere released on later PlayStation or Xbox platforms, but 360 versions ofOblivioncan be played on Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles via backwards compatibility.
Why Oblivion Remastered Needs to be Released Physically
Currently,Oblivion Remasteredcannot be purchased physically for any platform and Bethesda has made no announcement of any plans to eventually release it on disk or cartridge form. Whilesales of physical video game mediahave been steadily declining for the past two decades, Bethesda and Microsoft should still strive to releaseOblivion Remasteredphysically for the sizable population of gamers and store owners who still prefer or rely on physical media. Many games and some recent consoles may be wholly reliant on internet access, such as the Xbox Series S and the Xbox Series X All-Digital, but there are still several platforms and games that allow people to play without a constant internet connection.
A physical release could allow all gamers to playThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, regardless of whether they have consistent internet access or not. However, a physical release ofOblivion Remasteredmay not guarantee that it’ll work offline despite it being a single-player game. Several titles released in the current and previous console generations require internet access to install or play, even if they’re single-player or offer somesingle-player content, such asAssassin’s Creed ShadowsandDead Rising Deluxe Remaster. This is primarily due to newer games’ being so large that portions of their base content have to be downloaded online or due to many publishers making disks simply keys to download games without any actual game data on them. IfThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remasteredis released physically, it may go the route ofShadowsin similarly requiring internet to install a portion of the game, given that both titles feature massive file sizes around 125 GB. Still, there are undoubtedly many gamers who would like to have a physical version on display.
What Would be the Ideal Release Window for a Physical Oblivion Remastered?
Despite being only available online currently,Oblivion Remasteredis selling incredibly welland receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews. Bethesda is likely preparing to produce and ship disks ofDoom: The Dark Ages, but it could attempt to release physical copies ofOblivion Remasteredshortly after, ideally still within the next four months to profit off of this positive word of mouth. A physical release possibly coinciding with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 would also make sense. However, this is only hopeful speculation, as there is currently no indication that physical versions of theOblivion Remasteredwill happen - even if there would surely be interest from the fan base.
