Xbox Support agent accidentally dishes on Oblivion remaster, may launch in four days

[Cal Jeffrey]

Rumor mill: Bethesda has spent over a decade porting Skyrim to everything short of a smart fridge. So when early rumors hinted at an Oblivion remake, Elder Scrolls fans were quick to latch on. Now, a curious Xbox Support exchange suggests the long-awaited revival might be just around the corner.

Thanks to leaked documents from the FTC's case against Microsoft, we've known for a while that remasters of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are in the works. A former Virtuos Games employee backed up the Oblivion part of that equation two years ago. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Bethesda have remained tight-lipped about the leaked roadmap. However, that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from spinning.

More recently, reliable leaker NateTheHate claimed that Bethesda moved up the Oblivion timeline. While earlier reports pointed to a June release, his sources suggested it could launch as early as March or April. A batch of alleged screenshots (peppered throughout) surfaced earlier this week, including box art and official-looking Xbox promo pages, adding weight to the claim.

Then, on Tuesday, just as those images were making the rounds, an X user named Raven posted screenshots and a video of what he claims is an Xbox Support bot telling him the Oblivion remake will release in less than a week – on April 21, to be exact. However, the authenticity of the exchange is questionable.

The support thread begins with a "virtual agent" greeting but quickly pivots to, "This is a live agent." After Raven asks if the game will be available via cloud gaming, the rep responds with what appears to be a pre-written message confirming that it will be. When he asks when the game will launch, the agent replies that it's a day-one Xbox Game Pass title arriving on April 21, 2025.

The chat warrants a healthy dose of skepticism despite how plausible it looks.

Kotaku attempted to replicate the exchange by contacting Xbox Support multiple times. Unsurprisingly, a live service agent responded, saying the studio hasn't officially announced the game and directing users to watch the Xbox social media channels for more info. It's the kind of boilerplate reply companies always give when asked about unannounced products, so it doesn't debunk the leaked date. Still, it remains the only official word we have so far.

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Xbox Support agent accidentally dishes on Oblivion remaster, may launch in four days

 

[Vulcanproject]

Killer game. I liked it much more than Skyrim. I remember back in the day you really needed an X1900 ATi GPU to get the best from it. Before Nvidia G80 later in the year you couldn't have MSAA and HDR at the same time. Only the ATi cards could do it and have the performance spare.

This was also one of the best early X360 titles, eventually I picked it up on X360 and it looked great even on console. Was the graphical performance benchmark just before Crysis came along and crushed everything even harder.

 

[FaTaL]

Remasters are such a pathetic cashgrab. 90% of them, the graphics are still antiquated.... the modernized\ UI usually sucks...usually its just a rescale for higher res.
and make things worse, some companies remove/re-write the story from the original... (I.e - dead rising deluxe remaster) because of their pathetic stpd woke ideology... can't wait till they all die.

 

[yRaz]

Killer game. I liked it much more than Skyrim. I remember back in the day you really needed an X1900 ATi GPU to get the best from it. Before Nvidia G80 later in the year you couldn't have MSAA and HDR at the same time. Only the ATi cards could do it and have the performance spare.

This was also one of the best early X360 titles, eventually I picked it up on X360 and it looked great even on console. Was the graphical performance benchmark just before Crysis came along and crushed everything even harder.

It's funny that that game was designed to be played at 640X480, now people scoff at the idea of playing anything less than 1080P these days. I remember getting 8800GT SLi and playing it at 1440X900 and having my mind blown. Back when Oblivion came out I got sent to live with some relatives for the summer because my dad got sick and all I had was a copy of Oblivion and my PC. It had a 128MB n6600, socket 754 Sempron 2800+ and 512MB of DDR400. I spent that whole summer vacation playing Oblivon. They didn't have internet, so I went to the local library and I downloaded a PDF of the item list to a freaking floppy disk and copied cheats list to a text file from IGN.

I have a very special place in my heart for Oblivion, it got me through the toughest time in my life

 

[scavengerspc]

because of their pathetic stpd woke ideology

 

[WhiteLeaff]

If it wasn't developed on Bethesda's proprietary Engine, I feel it doesn't exist, imagine the effort of creating a massive RPG like those in the TES franchise on a problematic Engine like UE5.

 

[yRaz]

If it wasn't developed on Bethesda's proprietary Engine, I feel it doesn't exist, imagine the effort of creating a massive RPG like those in the TES franchise on a problematic Engine like UE5.

as I understand it, it being ported to UE5 is a false claim. There is enough cross over between gamebryo and creation engine that it'd likely be easier and cheaper to just port oblivion to creation than emulate oblivion in gamebryo and render it in UE5, which is what the rumors about the remake were first saying

 

[Squid Surprise]

I am so excited… started a new character 2 weeks ago to get me back in the mood…

 

[Antias]

I have very fond memories of Oblivion... In it's own way much better than Skyrim.

I however have spent a lot of time and effort on modding Skyrim to death with 4K full visual overhauls creating a lush realistic looking environment for the whole map incl landscaping, whole forrests, lakes & rivers etc, way more random encounters and massive additions to the flora and fauna, that I then enjoyed randomly travelling around with my 2 companions for countless hours.
I really really really hope I can do the same with Oblivion Remastered (via Nexus/Vortex of course - makes life so much easier).

LOL just checked, my Steam play time for Skyrim is over 1700 hrs... and I'd reckon over half of that is modding it all to look amazing... (Oh and ouch for the amount of time! No wonder my partner gets annoyed with my "gaming"...)

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Remasters are such a pathetic cashgrab. 90% of them, the graphics are still antiquated.... the modernized\ UI usually sucks...usually its just a rescale for higher res.
and make things worse, some companies remove/re-write the story from the original... (I.e - dead rising deluxe remaster) because of their pathetic stpd woke ideology... can't wait till they all die.

Agreed, if they're going to remove or censor content or change how it plays....just make a new game.

Of course that would require actual skill and work, so that's an immediate no go.

Even HD "updates" cannot be trusted with the rampant use of AI and the generally low quality of work these days. Battlefront Classic anyone?

EDIT: arguably, if they released oblivion remastered with no negative changes, that might be WORSE for them, because it will show just how far Bethesda's quality has fallen. Skyrim was already pretty watered down compared to Oblivion, I can only imagine the pale imitation that VI will offer, given their track record with fallout 4, 76, and starfield.

 

[LimyG]

GREAT! I spent 100s of hours in that game. Haven't touched it for many years!

If this indeed happens, I will be very happy indeed!

Now, what about Morrowind!

 

[LimyG]

Remasters are such a pathetic cashgrab. 90% of them, the graphics are still antiquated.... the modernized\ UI usually sucks...usually its just a rescale for higher res.
and make things worse, some companies remove/re-write the story from the original... (I.e - dead rising deluxe remaster) because of their pathetic stpd woke ideology... can't wait till they all die.

True, but not all. Even if the graphics are, say 2020 level that will be enough. Keep original story and options etc.

You are more than likely going to be correct, but until/if it's released and the reviews are in, plus watching some real ingame footage on Youtube etc.. I will stay optimistic.

One of my favourite games of all time, so hoping it works out.
I am ready to be disappointed though!

Edit: What you said about rewriting due to woke crap, I fully agree, 100%. Politics, especially petty stuff like that have NO place in games.

 

[lonetac]

Every time I see that word, your gif summarizes exactly how I envision the person who said it. It also completely dismisses anything they have to say as they are clearly not someone with a working brain.

Funny how the same sweatys complaining about politics in games play CoD for 400 hours.

On topic, I just hope I can pay twice as much for the horse armor in the remake!

 

[Squid Surprise]

On topic, I just hope I can pay twice as much for the horse armor in the remake!

I hear there will be 2 versions; regular and deluxe. With the deluxe having all the DLCs - one can only hope that includes horse armor!!

 

[mountains]

The Skyrim modding scene is stronger now then ever. The innovations keep coming. To me, the biggest two questions on this new Oblivion remaster:

1) How moddable will it be? As in Nexus and a mod manager.

2) More importantly, what will this mean for the Skyblivion project? This is a little different than when Fallout: London was about to come out and Bethesda kinda messed them up by surprise releasing a Fallout 4 next-gen update. I would hope Beth would work WITH these teams, but they do their own thing. At least, they have been less evil to the modding community than other studios. I hope they don't take surprise action against the Skyblivion team, passively or actively.

 

[lonetac]

The Skyrim modding scene is stronger now then ever. The innovations keep coming. To me, the biggest two questions on this new Oblivion remaster:

1) How moddable will it be? As in Nexus and a mod manager.

2) More importantly, what will this mean for the Skyblivion project? This is a little different than when Fallout: London was about to come out and Bethesda kinda messed them up by surprise releasing a Fallout 4 next-gen update. I would hope Beth would work WITH these teams, but they do their own thing. At least, they have been less evil to the modding community than other studios. I hope they don't take surprise action against the Skyblivion team, passively or actively.

Considering the remake is a separate game all together, it should hopefully not impact skyblivion unless they somehow or some reason release a patch to Oblivion to coincide with the release.

I cant for the life of me think why they would do that but as you point out, Bethesda does some dumb stuff with their patches.

 

[mountains]

Considering the remake is a separate game all together, it should hopefully not impact skyblivion unless they somehow or some reason release a patch to Oblivion to coincide with the release.

I cant for the life of me think why they would do that but as you point out, Bethesda does some dumb stuff with their patches.

One of my concerns is that Bethesda decides that the Skyblivion project threatens their ability to make money from the remake, so Beth sends lawyers out of the blue at Skyblivion for "IP stuff".

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

Two words: Horsie buttholes.

EDIT: Okay. Okay. Really, it takes more than two words because that comment needs an explanation.

I was a huge fan of Oblivion. I was almost obsessed with it. It launched in 2006, almost exactly a year before my daughter was born, and I was still playing it when she started kindergarten.

It was about that time that my toddler daughter was playing Oblivion with me. She just liked wandering around looking at stuff. Whenever there was fighting, she just handed me the controller.

As she was exploring one area, we came upon an abandoned horse. She was pretty excited about it. I told her she could ride it if she wanted. She was eager to ride it around, so she handed me the controller to get her on it. I handed the controller back to her, and she loved it. However, about two minutes into the ride, she stops. She just sits there for a minute, and I'm like, "What's wrong?"

She points to the screen and says, "My horsie has a butthole."

I was laughing so hard I just about broke a rib. Thank you, Bethesda, for your attention to detail.

 

[mountains]

Two words: Horsie buttholes.

Hi Cal, I knew you would show up on this topic! Thanks for putting up the article!

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

Hi Cal, I knew you would show up on this topic! Thanks for putting up the article!

Oblivion will always have a place in my heart, if for no other reason than that story.

 

[amghwk]

I have very fond memories of Oblivion... In it's own way much better than Skyrim.

I however have spent a lot of time and effort on modding Skyrim to death with 4K full visual overhauls creating a lush realistic looking environment for the whole map incl landscaping, whole forrests, lakes & rivers etc, way more random encounters and massive additions to the flora and fauna, that I then enjoyed randomly travelling around with my 2 companions for countless hours.
I really really really hope I can do the same with Oblivion Remastered (via Nexus/Vortex of course - makes life so much easier).

LOL just checked, my Steam play time for Skyrim is over 1700 hrs... and I'd reckon over half of that is modding it all to look amazing... (Oh and ouch for the amount of time! No wonder my partner gets annoyed with my "gaming"...)

What mod do you suggest for realistic bush moves when grazed upon by the player? For me I liked the lush vegetations and street lamps, but when I see the plants and bush not move when the player passing through them feels like a bit short somewhere. Though I play mostly in 1st person, if realisting bush-rubbing movements are present, when seen through 3rd person view, it would enhance the gameplay.

 

[amghwk]

Oblivion, I usually don't do Kvatch first. I play both as a thief and assassin and usually I do all the side quests and prime up my skills to the max before starting Kvatch quest - the quest that starts the main story.

Likewise in Skyrim, usually I don't give the dragonstone to the court mage in Whiterun - the action that triggers the whole main dragon story. I take my time to do all the sidequests while jacking up my skills before moving on to the main story.

Good games, memorable experiences.

I always wondered why they keep remaking Skyrim again and again and again and again, but never touched Oblivion.

The music in both are some of the best of the best, imho.

 

[LimyG]

I hear there will be 2 versions; regular and deluxe. With the deluxe having all the DLCs - one can only hope that includes horse armor!!

Oh, absolutely! The game is unplayable without that essential DLC, LOL.

On a different note, a little bit dissapointing that there will be two versions. Just one with all DLC would be better.

On Steam at least any DLC installed on first download can be removed, then added later. Personally I would play with just a few important DLC especially the HORSE AMOUR, and unistall the rest for first "re-play through."

Still, not a big deal. We have the Horse armour and that's what counts!!

 

[Antias]

What mod do you suggest for realistic bush moves when grazed upon by the player? For me I liked the lush vegetations and street lamps, but when I see the plants and bush not move when the player passing through them feels like a bit short somewhere. Though I play mostly in 1st person, if realisting bush-rubbing movements are present, when seen through 3rd person view, it would enhance the gameplay.

I have to admit that seems like a limitation in the Skyrim graphics engine to me... I've not found anything that realistic with physics... yet!

 

[LimyG]

What mod do you suggest for realistic bush moves when grazed upon by the player? For me I liked the lush vegetations and street lamps, but when I see the plants and bush not move when the player passing through them feels like a bit short somewhere. Though I play mostly in 1st person, if realisting bush-rubbing movements are present, when seen through 3rd person view, it would enhance the gameplay.

I managed to get Skyrim looking and running way better than max settings. Almost like a game 10 years newer.
This was without any Mods.
I researched a whole lot of ini tweaks, and made a list of the ones that look good to me. A bit of trial and error, but in the end I had, rougly 40 ini tweaks. Huge increase of vram for everything, shadows, textures etc. Changed a setting called uGrids which also increases the amount of info streamed on screen or into memory.

There are many more, too many to list. If you are interested in doing this yourself, if you are already familiar with programs that use an ini config file/files for every setting it will be a breeze, but still takes a while.

Honestly I was very impressed. It did take me a long time due to trying to improve more and more, plus there are just a few "rules," setting that should not be changed, or settings that if changed require changing another.

It's actually very educational. And it feels great looking at Skyrim, so much more beautiful than max in game settings with endless draw distances running smoothly. And the best bit, knowing that you did all that yourself!!