Look, everybody’s talking about Starfield. And even if they’re not, the conversation is never far away from something Bethesda-adjacent. Case in point: there’s been some new footage released of Skyblivion, the upcoming fan remake of Oblivion.
Uploaded to the Heavy Burns YouTube channel, we’re treated to 20 minutes of gameplay from the upcoming project, which was showcased at this year’s Creation Mod Con. In the video, we get to see the Hero of Kvatch engaging in one of the game’s many side quests.
More specifically, it’s the Mazoga the Orc mission that begins in Leyawiin Castle. As in the original game, the quest plays out as normal, complete with the OG voice acting. The major difference here, obviously, is that the Skyblivion version is visually different, thanks to it being done in the Creation Engine.
The Skyrim DNA is definitely there as well, such as the compass and quest markers. Not to mention the animations and character models, but it still plays out like the classic 2006 game.
So what is Skyblivion?
If you’re not familiar with this project, Skyblivion is essentially a full remake of The Elder Scrolls 4, but done in Skyrim‘s engine. The team has been painstakingly (and voluntarily) recreating the entire RPG using somewhat more up-to-date software.
While the Creation Engine is still very much a Bethesda thing (version 2.0 is being used to develop Starfield), it’s now considered quite dated when compared to modern standards. Having said that, it’s a step up from Oblivion‘s Gamebryo engine which, according to Wikipedia, hasn’t been used to make a game since 2011.
As for Skyblivion itself, it does look better in this engine. It’s still quintessentially Oblivion, but that extra boost in visuals gives it somewhat of a facelift. The modders themselves have been tirelessly working on it for years, and the end may be in sight.
The video says the game is aiming for a 2025 release. If you want to help out, the team is still taking on additional volunteers. You can also check out the website for more details.
