https://gamerant.com/elder-scrolls-oblivion-good-more-remakes-morrowind-arena-daggerfall/Bethesda is allegedly remastering Oblivion, and while that sounds great, it should have started its remasters with an older Elder Scrolls game.
Earlier this week, a Microsoft document filed with the FTC leaked a slew of potential Bethesda games, including a remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Besides Skyrim, Oblivion is probably one of the most popular entries in the series, so it would make sense for the studio to remaster it. While it remains to be seen if the project still exists, it's got a lot of potential.
A remaster of Oblivion sounds exciting, but it should not be the first Elder Scrolls remaster. Oblivion may be a fan-favorite, but there are three other games before it that deserve to be modernized as well. Those other games have aged far worse than Oblivion. Along with that, so many players have likely never even experienced the earliest days of this iconic franchise. Since The Elder Scrolls 6 is years away, now is the perfect time to revisit the classics, and Bethesda should start with the very first one.
The Elder Scrolls Has Years of Games Waiting to Be Modernized
Screenshot from The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall showing the player being approached by an enemy.
The Elder Scrolls franchise first started way back in 1994 with The Elder Scrolls: Arena on MS-DOS. This title introduced players to Tamriel, brought them on an exciting fantasy journey, and would go on to win multiple awards while also setting a new standard for CRPGs. While it has aged considerably, the franchise would not exist without it. However, the studio has not really done anything with it besides releasing it for free on Steam.
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall would release three years later and continue the fantastical adventures of the first. It may have given players less of Tamriel to explore, but it expanded those areas considerably with countless cities and dungeons. Along with that, Bethesda also introduced new customization options, new role-playing features, and gave players the ability to create their very own classes. It seemed to surpass the original in almost every single way, yet the studio has also not done much with it since release.
Six years later, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind hit store shelves and once again took the franchise to new heights. Practically everything about it was an improvement over the other two, plus its expansive world was a sight to behold. Unlike the last two, the studio would end up expanding this one further with DLC that brought players on even more fantastic adventures. Yet, it too has been left mostly untouched for years.
While The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion may not have had a remaster yet, it often overshadows all the games that came before it. Fans would love to get their hands on a modern version of this game, which is why Bethesda has likely skipped over the other three. However, the other three have aged considerably worse and are often overlooked when players talk about the franchise. On top of that, so many new players were introduced to Elder Scrolls via Skyrim, making it the perfect time to introduce them to the classics.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is likely years away, which means that Bethesda will need some other projects to kill time with. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster can fill that need, but it should not be the only game that gets that treatment. There is an entire franchise of influential RPGs that deserve to shine once more on modern hardware, especially since many players have never even experienced them before. While these remasters may be riskier projects, they deserve it just as much as the series' most popular entries do.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster is rumored to be in development.
