Replayability is a core consideration for game developers looking to keep players locked in and wanting more. PC games use mods as a key tool to unlock community creativity and boost a game’s replayability. Modded games take the original game’s code and add to it, take it away, or change it entirely. The king of the hill for modded games has long been The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
While Skyrim has played host to some of the funniest mods out there, like turning dragons into Thomas the Tank Engine, it is now set to house one of its most ambitious: Skyblivion. For over 10 years, a volunteer team of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion enthusiasts has labored to remaster Oblivion entirely as a mod for Skyrim — and it looks impressive. With so much time and effort going into the work, Skyblivion is redefining the capability of mods.
A Decade in the Making
Skyblivion’s origins and evolution
Skyblivion is housed within a larger project called The Elder Scrolls Renewal (TESR), whose main goal is to recreate older Elder Scrolls games in newer engines. Beyond Skyblivion, TESR also works on Skywind and Morrowblivion. In its decades-plus timeline, the development of Skyblivion went through a few different phases alongside some scope changes.
The project was initiated in 2012 under the direction of lead developer Zilav, who created a tech demo called version 0.1. In 2014, Zilav and another developer, Monocleus, followed up version 0.1 with a stable base game that allowed others to work.
It was at this point that volunteers started helping out. But momentum for the game really gained a ton of steam when Rebelzize joined and started handling the project. The release of the ‘Skyblivion — Return to Cyrodiil’ trailer marked a huge moment for the mod, drawing in tons of new volunteers. With 65 active volunteers as of 2025, Skyblivion’s massive scope is ultimately in reach.
A Release Window After All These Years
Skyblivion has maintained consistency with its press releases and updates throughout the years, and 2025’s roadmap was no deviation. ‘The Path To Release’ update confirmed again its 2025 release window. It mentioned that most of the core of the game is complete with calls to volunteer for UI vector implementation, interior asset design, quest design, and navigation meshing.
Skyblivion is a free mod and will only be playable on PC for people who own both The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Special Edition and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion GOTY Deluxe. It will release with all of Oblivion’s base game remastered, but Oblivion’s DLCs will be remastered in the future.
How Skyblivion Goes Above and Beyond
Rebuilding Cyrodiil by Hand
Skyblivion is far more than just a ported copy of an old game on newer software. It’s a total, painstaking reconstruction with novel features and twists on existing gameplay structures and locations. For assets, Skyblivion is legally required by Bethesda to either create its own or to use a Skyrim asset. So while Skyblivion utilizes Skyrim’s engine as a foundation, nearly every aspect of Cyrodiil has been meticulously rebuilt:
- The entire landscape has been manually sculpted – replacing Oblivion’s procedurally generated and proprietarily-owned terrain.
- Major cities like Leyawiin and Anvil have been expanded and redesigned – reflecting original concept art that did not make it into the 2006 release.
- Every weapon, armor set, clutter item, and interactable has been remodeled – to match and evolve Oblivion’s original designs.
- Over 223 quests have been restored – to function inside Skyrim’s engine while preserving branching paths and original scripting.
These efforts don’t just make Cyrodiil more modernly beautiful, they also enrich it. The goal is not to mimic what Oblivion was, but to show what it could have been if developed in Skyrim’s engine.
Remastering Mechanics Without Rewriting the Past
While Skyblivion reconstructs the physical world of Oblivion, it also brings back many of the gameplay systems that made the original distinct. Furthermore, the team isn’t just copying those mechanics, they’re refining them to make them smoother, more readable, and even more moddable. With some new additions and added twists to older systems, Skyblivion makes bold promises:
- Spell crafting makes its return – letting players create custom magic by combining effects.
- The class creation system is fully restored – offering a fully customizable setup complete with animated menus and modern usability.
- The lockpicking system has been reworked – drawing inspiration from both The Elder Scrolls Online and Oblivion’s original design.
- Underwater combat has been restored – reintroducing gameplay variety that was cut from Skyrim.
- The classic NPC disposition system returns – influencing conversations and relationships like it did in Oblivion.
- A perk and mastery framework – to be fully editable by modders, opening the door for future community expansions.
- A dynamic weather system – more modern lighting solutions enhance Cyrodiil’s environmental atmosphere.
By blending the accessibility of Skyrim with the depth and flexibility of Oblivion, Skyblivion turns old systems into modern ones without erasing their identity. As demonstrated by the depth and scope of the work, Skyblivion is much more than an average mod, and is probably even more considered than many studio remasters.
The Weight of Reimagining a Classic
Nostalgia, Reverence, and the Burden of Community Expectation
When a timeless piece of art is restored, it inevitably faces heightened scrutiny. Think about all the memes that came out of the botched restoration of Ecce Homo, a century old fresco of Jesus in Borja, Spain. And while comparing Oblivion’s remaster to a fresco of Jesus is a hilarious stretch, there is a grain of truth in the way Oblivion is treated with a kind of sacred reverence by its fans.
Released in 2006, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion did represent part of a golden age for Bethesda RPGs, existing between Morrowind, Skyrim, and nearby to Fallout 3. It was a game that pushed the boundaries of what RPGs could achieve with an expansive open world, ambitious interlocking quest lines, and intricate player-controlled character progression.
But beyond its groundbreaking qualities, Oblivion holds a special place in gaming history as one of the most hilariously janky games of all time.
Beneath its epic quests and huge open world, Oblivion often produces strange moments where the game’s overlapping systems awkwardly collide. This quirky, unpolished nature has become part of Oblivion’s charm. Skyblivion, then, faces the unique challenge of porting over that older jank while still modernizing systems for a better user experience.
Related
This Forgotten Elder Scrolls Spin-Off Deserves an Oblivion Level Remaster
The Oblivion remaster is opening the door to so many new games.
Why Is Now the Right Time for Skyblivion?
In a stroke of pure coincidence or taken negatively as a passive-aggressive marketing play, Bethesda shadow dropped its own The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on April 22, 2025. Not wanting to stir the pot, the Skyblivion team insisted in an official post that, “Ultimately, 2025 promises to be a remarkable year for fans of Oblivion. We are confident that players will be the true winners, having the opportunity to experience both a community-driven reimagining and a professional, modern version of this beloved game.”
Bethesda smoothed over release date concerns as well by giving a free copy of the official Oblivion Remastered to the whole volunteer team working on Skyblivion, while simultaneously endorsing the creation of these unofficial productions. An act of good faith like that was well-received by the Oblivion community, but as time goes on, it is only natural that comparisons between the two will be drawn.
