Fans of Bethesda are buzzing with enthusiasm following the announcement of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, a release that has rekindled interest in the storied land of Cyrodiil. However, the excitement may be accompanied by apprehension for the creators of Skyblivion, a volunteer-driven initiative dedicated to “porting and rebuilding” the original 2007 version of Oblivion using the updated engine from 2016’s Skyrim: Special Edition.
In a surprising turn of events, it appears Bethesda is welcoming both official and unofficial versions of Oblivion. The Skyblivion team expressed their gratitude on social media for what they called “the generous gift of Oblivion Remastered game keys for our entire modding team” and thanked Bethesda for their ongoing support.
In a follow-up communication, the team clarified that Bethesda has no plans to discontinue their project. “To clear up any confusion, Bethesda made it clear that they have no intention of shutting down our project,” they stated.
Not all reactions are positive
“Bethesda has always been supportive of community projects like ours, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon,” the team commented previously.
In contrast, some other gaming companies have taken a more adversarial stance toward fan-made projects. Nintendo, for example, is known for its stringent legal actions against a broad array of fan games featuring their characters or trademarks. Similarly, last year, Valve sought to halt several fan remakes of its classic titles.
In 2016, Blizzard ceased operations of fan-run “classic” World of Warcraft servers coinciding with its announcement of official World of Warcraft Classic servers. Activision and EA have also shuttered modded servers pertaining to older online games.
Nonetheless, a few publishers have adopted Bethesda’s more inclusive approach toward modding communities. Sega has actively supported official Steamworks modding for select Sega Genesis titles made available on PC since 2016. Meanwhile, the Halo-inspired project Installation 01 continues to thrive, enjoying a level of informal endorsement from Microsoft and developer 343 Industries, provided it remains a non-commercial effort.
As for Skyblivion, although the project’s latest public Roadmap update is several months old, the team maintains optimism regarding the eventual release of their ambitious mod later this year. “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,” they concluded.
