Bethesda Gifts The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Keys to Entire Skyblivion Modding Team

The Elder Scrolls fans are praising Bethesda today after the developer gifted free game keys for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered to the entire team behind popular Oblivion mod, Skyblivion.

In a post on BlueSky today, the Skyblivion team shared news of Bethesda’s outreach with their community. “As massive fans, we’re beyond grateful for the generous gift of Oblivion Remastered game keys for our entire modding team! This means so much to us. Thank you for everything, Bethesda!”

Skyblivion is an upcoming fan remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion made by the TESRenewal volunteer modding group. It uses Bethesda’s Creation Engine to recreate Oblivion in the game’s sequel, Skyrim. The project has technically been in the works for over a decade, beginning as a simple direct port and later expanding to a full remake with a number of improved features and even new content. We interviewed one of the developers behind it way back in 2021. Skyblivion is expected to release this year.

Historically, Bethesda and the Skyblivion team have reportedly been on “very good terms,” but as rumors of an official Oblivion remaster grew, some fans questioned if Bethesda wasn’t trying to head off Skyblivion with its own version due to the suspiciously close release timing. A few days ago, anticipating today’s showcase, the Skyblivion team issued a statement addressing these concerns. In it, the team said that Bethesda has “always been supportive of community projects like ours” and that “there is no need for comparisons or a sense of competition” between the two games.

Notably, Oblivision Remastered does not have official mod support, though fans have already been cooking up an array of unofficial mods for the game within hours of its release. Additionally, both versions of Oblivion have unique aspects: Skyblivion, for instance, isn’t available on console at all. Oblivision Remastered, on the other hand, does not include the new and refurbished content that Skyblivion has promised, but does have horse armor DLC at launch for Deluxe Edition buyers. Both versions have different looks and feels, with different interpretations on how much Skyrim-ness should be incorporated into a retread of Oblivion. And of course, you can play Oblivision Remastered today, but those looking forward to Skyblivion will have to wait just a little bit longer.

While we wait, you can read up on why some players think today’s release is more remake than remaster and why Bethesda opted to give it that “Remastered” name in the first place.

We’ve got a comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, and much more.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.