The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered—Hold Off for Now; Bring the Old Games Back to Life First

There’s nothing wrong with that stance.

Todd Howard recently gave an interview to GamesRadar+, and he was very straightforward. Should classic RPGs be remade? Put that further down the line for now. The top priority is making older titles like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Fallout 3 run properly on modern hardware.

I’m on board with that thinking. For longtime players, being able to launch the game, have it run stably, and get frame rates that aren’t too ugly—that’s the foundation. If the foundation isn’t solid, jumping straight to a remake means too much wind-up, and it’s much more likely to fall apart later.

Todd also mentioned that he actually hadn’t been very supportive of remakes in the past. The core reason is simple: preserve the game first, then talk about polishing it up. The logic is the same as fixing online play and input lag in a fighting game before changing the UI and skins. You can’t reverse that order.

He also specifically pointed to Xbox’s game preservation program. That program has already made hundreds of Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles backward compatible, while also bringing 4K visuals and frame rate improvements. According to the original wording, players can now already play the original versions of Morrowind and Fallout 3 relatively smoothly.

The value of that is actually more substantial than a remake. A remake is a single-point breakthrough; compatibility and preservation are the lifeline for the whole medium. Old games shouldn’t become “ruins” that you can only watch through playthrough videos in the cloud. If you bought it, you should be able to play it.

Now, about the shift in attitude. In recent years, Todd has clearly softened on the idea of remakes. After repeatedly hearing players’ calls, the studio ultimately chose The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered as the entry point. The reason is practical too: this game can serve new players who never experienced the original.

That move isn’t surprising. Oblivion is hitting its 20th anniversary right on cue, with nostalgia and discussion both at their peak. Bethesda’s creative director even called it the “most primal form” of a Bethesda game. That’s no light statement—it essentially means its design DNA is especially pure, making it well-suited to be repackaged for a new generation.

But Todd didn’t overstate things either. He admitted that remaking old games carries risks. Especially this time, with leaks related to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and unofficial information flying everywhere, quite a few players have already had their expectations thrown off. Once expectations are raised too high, the final release can easily feel like a hitbox mismatch: the game may not actually be bad, but it still feels like it didn’t land.

More broadly, this is also a wake-up call for the industry. These days, a lot of companies see that old IP can still sell and rush into remakes, remasters, and HD versions. The problem is that the original versions are preserved terribly, and platform compatibility is full of gaps. The result is that the new version gets sold through one cycle, while the old one keeps lying there dead. That’s not preservation—that’s forcing a fresh relaunch.

If you’re a player looking to finally catch up on these games, I’d suggest looking at it in two ways. If you can experience the original Morrowind and Fallout 3 within the Xbox ecosystem, play the originals first and get a feel for the underlying design. Whether you can accept the older feel will become clear in a single session. As for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, don’t let leaks and speculation set the tone just yet. Wait for the official details, then see whether it’s just a texture upgrade or whether the systems and game feel have been improved as well.

One last point. Todd’s message this time is very clear: remakes can be made, but they’re not a cure-all. The real skill is making sure classic works can still hold up today. If the foundation is gone, then no matter how flashy the remake is, it’s still just a punch thrown into empty air.