Skyblivion

Last updated
Skyblivion
Developer(s) TES Renewal Project, Rebelzize, and others
Initial release2025;2 years' time (2025)
Engine Creation Engine
Type Remake, total conversion, Action role-playing
Website skyblivion.com

Skyblivion is an upcoming open world action role-playing video game. It is a fan remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) developed in Bethesda Game Studios' Creation Engine as a total conversion mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). It is scheduled to be released in 2025.

Contents

Gameplay

Features

In addition to re-creating what was previously in Oblivion and its DLC, [1] the developers are improving and expanding upon elements of the original game. [2] [3] This includes the user interface (which is being done via the SkyUI modification), [4] textures, environments, [5] cities, [6] dungeons, quests, [7] [8] characters, weapons, [9] and clothing. They're also adding new content such as an expansion of the city of Leyawiin based on concept art from the original game, [10] [11] goblin tribes, [12] and more music. [13]

Development

In 2012, Zilav, a modder and member of The Elder Scrolls Renewal Project began a project to port The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 's assets into the Creation Engine (which was used to make Oblivion's sequel, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ). To do this, work was done on writing a tool to port the assets from Oblivion into the engine. However, technical limitations arose with the incompatibility of many files, resulting in broken or empty parts of the map, crashes, and bugs. The initial version of the project, 0.1, was released and onto internet forums. The eventual project lead, K. Rebel (also known as Rebelzize) retroactively called this build a "hot mess." In 2014, Zilav was joined by modder Monocleus, and they released a stable yet incomplete version of the project that would serve as the basis for further development. [4] [14]

In May 2014, the team released version 0.2 of the project, which still required more help in areas such as visual asset creation, modeling, navmeshing, and voice acting. [15] [16] At this point, a selection of mods together could be used to play a portion of the project. [17]

After K. Rebel joined to help the project with its PR, he pitched the idea of remaking Oblivion rather than converting the game assets. The idea was approved. By November 2016, Rebel sought help from other modders to help with work on the project. He also did so through Nexus Mods, a site that allows users to upload and download mods. [18] Rebel jokingly called it "the perfect pyramid scheme." [19]

According to Digital Trends , by November 2021, the volunteer team had over 40 members, including individuals who work for large game studios as well as hobbyists. [19] In an email to IGN , Rebel explained that their approach to development is similar to that of a AAA game. [10]

Reception

Marketing

Around 2014, K. Rebel joined the project, taking on the PR. [18]

On December 9, 2016, Rebel uploaded a trailer titled "Skyblivion – Return To Cyrodiil." [20] The trailer also resulted in more support, willing volunteers, and an increase in recognition. [4] This included more programmers and 3D artists. [19]

Rebel also hosts livestreams on his channel, showing the development process of the game and answering questions from the viewers. [20] More trailers have been released periodically, showing more content that will be in the final game. [21] [22] Developer diary videos have also been made to present the work being done in more detail. [23] [24]

On January 15, 2023, the two-and-a-half-minute "Official Release Year Announcement Trailer" was uploaded to YouTube, where it was given a release date of 2025 at the latest. The trailer received a significant amount of coverage from news outlets such as Eurogamer , [25] NME , [26] Rock Paper Shotgun , [27] PC Gamer , [28] and GamesRadar+ . [29]

Pre-release reception

The game has received positive responses leading up to the release, with critics calling the progress "impressive," [30] [31] "breathtaking," [32] [33] [18] and "ambitious." [26] [25] By April 2022, Preston Pearl of Screen Rant said that the game "looks much better" compared to original game. [34]

It received spots on PC Gamer 's "8 most ambitious Skyrim mods in development in 2022" list. [35] and number 8 on TheGamer's "Skyrim: Top 10 Anticipated Mods" list. [36]

It was awarded ModDB's "Best Upcoming Mod" in 2017. [37]

Further reading

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and co-published by Bethesda Softworks, 2K Games and Ubisoft. It is the fourth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following 2002's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2006, followed by PlayStation 3 in 2007. Taking place within the fictional province of Cyrodiil, the game's main story focuses on the player character's efforts to thwart a fanatical cult known as the Mythic Dawn that plans to open portal gates to a demonic realm known as Oblivion.

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References

  1. ↑ Donnelly, Joe (February 3, 2017). "Skyblivion mod to include Oblivion DLC, will be released for Skyrim: Special Edition". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  2. ↑ Senior, Tom (November 2, 2018). "Beautiful, familiar scenery on show in Skyblivion video update". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  3. ↑ Williams, Demi (January 19, 2023). "The Elder Scrolls Skyblivion Mod To Release By 2025". GameSpot . Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Francis Docherty, Martin (August 21, 2021). "Tracing the Skyblivion Mod's Development Over the Years". GameRant . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ Gach, Ethan (February 2, 2018). "Recreating Oblivion In Skyrim Means Paying Close Attention To Trees". Kotaku . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  6. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (February 1, 2018). "New Skyblivion trailer shows Cyrodiil's Imperial City remade in Skyrim". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (January 26, 2021). "New Skyblivion video shows progress with landscapes, caves, and working quests". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ Morton, Lauren (January 27, 2021). "Skyblivion team shows off progress on implementing its 219 quests". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  9. ↑ Troughton, James (March 25, 2022). "Skyblivion Shares "Huge Update" Featuring Bruma, Daedric Artifacts, And Goblins". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Skrebels, Joe (August 19, 2021). "Skyblivion: The Skyrim Mod Aiming to Make the Oblivion Bethesda Couldn't in 2006". IGN . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  11. ↑ Smith, Graham (March 26, 2022). "After ten years of development, Skyblivion looks stunning". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  12. ↑ Wood, Austin (March 25, 2022). "Full-fat Oblivion remake Skyblivion shows off revamped favorites as it eyes "the end of road"". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  13. ↑ Macgregor, Jody (April 15, 2021). "Skyblivion dev diary shows how far they've come". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  14. ↑ Troughton, James (May 20, 2022). "The History Of Skyblivion As Told By Its Developers". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ Good, Owen S. (May 18, 2014). "'Skyblivion' seeks to recreate The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion with Skyrim's engine". Polygon . Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ Horth, Nick (May 19, 2014). "SKYBLIVION MOD RECREATES THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION IN SKYRIM ENGINE". Gamewatcher.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  17. ↑ Hillier, Brenna (July 21, 2015). "Skyrim engine does wonders for Oblivion's Cyrodiil". VG247 . Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 Ruppert, Liana 'Lili' (May 23, 2018). "Skyblivion Team Teases Even More Elder Scrolls Progress In New Video". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  19. 1 2 3 Kratky, Otto (November 11, 2021). "With 9 years of work in danger, Skyrim modders still build castles in the sand". Digital Trends . Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  20. 1 2 Gach, Ethan (December 10, 2016). "New Trailer Shows Skyblivion Fan Project Is Still Alive And Well". Kotaku . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  21. ↑ Bishop, Sam (February 6, 2017). "The Skyblivion modders are including Oblivion's DLCs". Gamereactor . Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  22. ↑ Devore, Jordan (August 15, 2019). "'The end is almost in sight' for Skyblivion, the long-time-coming Oblivion mod for Skyrim". Destructoid . Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  23. ↑ Cryer, Hirun (August 12, 2021). "Skyblivion mod is "still a ways out" from releasing". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  24. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (August 12, 2021). "Here's 20 minutes of Skyblivion footage that'll make you wish the mod was out now". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  25. 1 2 Phillips, Tom (January 16, 2023). "Elder Scrolls fan project Skyblivion out 2025 "at the latest"". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  26. 1 2 Brown, Andy (January 16, 2023). "Ambitious 'Skyrim' mod 'Skyblivion' gets 2025 release window". NME . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  27. ↑ Wheeler, CJ (January 16, 2023). "Oblivion-in-Skyrim mod Skyblivion gets a 2025 release window and new trailer". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  28. ↑ Macgregor, Jody (January 15, 2023). "Skyblivion announces 2025 release date". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  29. ↑ Ostler, Anne-Marie; Wood, Austin (January 17, 2023). "Oblivion's Skyrim remake will launch by 2025, or about 50 years before The Elder Scrolls 6". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  30. ↑ Bailey, Dustin (August 12, 2021). "After years in development, Skyblivion is "still a ways out"". PCGamesN . Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  31. ↑ Braz, Victor (August 15, 2019). "The Elder Scrolls Skyblivion trailer shows impressive fan-made remake of a classic". GameRevolution . Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  32. ↑ Ruppert, Liana (October 20, 2020). "Ambitious Skyblivion Overhaul Mod Shares Impressive Journey With "How It Started" Meme". Game Informer . Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  33. ↑ Prince, Chloe (October 1, 2020). "Skyblivion Will Be The Answer To Our Elder Scrolls Prayers". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  34. ↑ Pearl, Preston (April 13, 2022). "Skyrim's Skyblivion Mod Looks Even Better Than Oblivion". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  35. ↑ Morton, Lauren (19 July 2022). "The 8 most ambitious Skyrim mods in development in 2022". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  36. ↑ Burgar, Charles (January 25, 2020). "Skyrim: Top 10 Anticipated Mods". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  37. ↑ Donnelly, Joe (3 January 2018). "ModDB names Brutal Doom Mod of the Year 2017, Skyblivion as Best Upcoming Mod". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
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