Bethesda stunned the gaming world this week when it announced and simultaneously released a remaster ofThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionon modern platforms. Although the existence of this Virtuos-developed re-release had been leaked a week beforehand, many people likely weren’t ready for this surprise reveal. Despite being labeled as a mere ‘remaster,’ many of the key elements ofThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, such as its voice acting, control schemes, sound effects, and animations, have been drastically improved compared to its 2006 predecessor.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered’s surprise Tuesday launch puts it right next to another major RPG that came out this week,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Developed by the newly established French studio Sandfall Interactive,Clair Obscuris a turn-based role-playing gamethat takes heavy inspiration from the Japanese RPGs of yore, such asFinal Fantasy,Lost Odyssey, andPersona. It was released on all current-gen consoles on Thursday, April 24, just two days afterOblivion Remastered. The contiguous launch dates of these two games have drawn a lot of comparisons to Barbenheimer, the cultural phenomenon that dominated the internet in 2023.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Oblivion Remastered’s Adjacent Launches Are Being Compared to Barbenheimer
Barbenheimer Was a Cultural Phenomenon that Took Over the Internet in 2023
Universal Studios' live-actionBarbieadaptation and ChristopherNolan’sOppenheimerbiopic are two completely unrelated films, but they became the subject of many headlines and memes a few years ago due to their shared release date. In the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada,BarbieandOppenheimerboth debuted on June 24, 2025. Many moviegoers found it funny that two films with drastically different tones were being released on the same day, so they went to watch them in theaters as a double feature. This phenomenonbecame known as Barbenheimer, and it significantly boosted the success ofBarbieandOppenheimerat the box office.
Clair Obscur’s Publisher Made an Amusing Reference to Barbenheimer on Social Media
Kepler Interactive, the publisher ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33, recently made a post on Xreferencing Barbenheimer and comparing it toOblivion Remasteredand its video game. To further promote the comparison, Kepler shared an edited image of the key art forClair Obscurwith an Oblivion Gate in the middle. Not too long afterward, Bethesda and theClair Obscurdevelopers also joined in on the fun. Following the release of theOblivionremaster, the officialClair Obscur: Expedition 33account replied to a Bethesda X post with the sameOblivioncrossover image that Kepler made. Bethesda, in turn, responded with a heart and handshake emoji.
Clair Obscur and Oblivion Remastered May Not Overshadow Each Other, Despite What Some Fans Think
UnlikeBarbieandOppenheimer, there is some overlap between the target audiences forClair Obscur: Expedition 33andThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered. Although the games have completely different gameplay systems, they’re still both RPGs at the end of the day, so those who are interested in one title may also want to play the other. This has led to some fans being concerned about the games cannibalizing each other. Many have noted that, sinceOblivion Remasteredwas shadow-droppedout of nowhere, it could overshadowClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s release.
BarbieandOppenheimerwere launched on the very same day, but since there’s atwo-day gap betweenOblivion RemasteredandClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s releases, the two situations are not exactly the same.
