Skyblivion Updates With Gameplay Demo and Mod News
The modding community on PC is known to be a vibrant scene full of players who are as dedicated to updating a game as they are to add content to it. One such team is behind Skyblivion, a volunteer-based project by the TESRenewal (The Elder Scrolls Renewal) modding group.
They’re steadily remaking The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in the same game engine used for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. Work started back in 2012, and the team recently announced a 2025 release date.
“Our goal is to release the project this year, to the public, as a free mod,” said team lead Rebelzize in a recent YouTube gameplay video.
Updating a Classic
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was universally well-received upon its release on March 20, 2006. At the time, the Bethesda RPG was lauded for its breadth of gameplay systems and technical polish.
Time, and technology, however, have not been kind to the game, with Skyrim’s release on Nov. 11, 2011, eclipsing its predecessor in almost every way. This became even more pronounced with the release of Skyrim Special Edition in 2016, which added features such as volumetric god rays, screen-space reflections, remastered art, and improved anti-aliasing.
“Upon release, our mod will include all enhancements developed by the team such as our Landscaping Overhaul, Interior Overhaul, City Overhaul, Weapon/Armor Overhaul and much more,” said TESR on the official Skyblivion site.
A Technical Overhaul
Skyblivion is focused on updating the overall look of the game, as well as few mechanics. As well as adding graphical shine such as bloom and volumetric lighting, the team have also been adding navigation meshes for enemy/NPC AI, and even recreating creatures as faithfully as possible.
A recent gameplay video revealed that trolls are one such monster that have been re-modelled, but the TESRenewal team have also taken the opportunity to add a few extras. In this case, skeleton models for non-human characters, such as orcs, which the original Oblivion didn’t have.
The actual narrative, text and audio will not be touched, though. This means that there’s no need for renewed localization, as the existing Oblivion translation mods will still work with Skyblivion.
To use Skyblivion, players will need the GOTY edition of Oblivion, plus Skyrim’s Special Edition. Full specs are yet to be released, but the team have said: “If you can run the base version of Skyrim: Special Edition on ultra settings you should be able to run Skyblivion just fine.”