Bethesda is rumored to be working on a remake of RPG classic The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, with an industry insider claiming last month that the game could launch as early as June. Now, a new statement claims that the remake project is imminent and could be announced and released simultaneously “any time” this month. Bethesda unexpectedly announced that the rumored remake of “The Elder Scrolls IV: Annihilation” will be released in April.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Annihilation Remastered Edition Will Be Launched in April
The information comes from Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, who said during a livestream on Monday that the Annihilation remake could be released “any time this month.” For those who don’t know, a “shadow drop” refers to an unexpected or previously unannounced release without prior marketing or release date updates.
“I’m told the game will be released anytime this month,” Grubb said during the livestream, adding that a surprise release could happen “very soon.”
Grubb’s update comes on the heels of rumors that a remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is coming in April. Another source said the game could launch the week of April 21, after The Elder Scrolls Online’s anniversary event. The in-game ESO anniversary event started on April 3rd and will last until April 22nd.
“The original timeline of information is closed, I have it, and it happened to do just that. After the event I felt confident about dropping it because it came from more than one person. For those who doubted it, this project is 100% real,” Detective Seeds, a channel that publishes gaming industry updates on X, claimed on Sunday. The channel also discovered changes on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’s Game of the Year Edition Steam page, which may indicate Bethesda is preparing a remake or remaster of the game.
It’s also worth noting that Microsoft has previously released games without prior announcement. The company Shadow launched 2 new Xbox games at the Xbox Partner Preview Showcase in October 2024 – the first-person shooter “Blindfire” and the indie game “Metroid Castlevania Animal Well”. Most notably, Xbox Master Shadow launched rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush in 2023, which was critically acclaimed and won several year-end awards.
Microsoft and Bethesda have yet to confirm the existence of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Annihilation is considered one of the greatest role-playing games of all time
Photo credit: Bethesda
Oblivion remake rumors
Last month, industry insider NateTheHate claimed that Bethesda was preparing the remake for a launch earlier than the rumored original target of June 2025 (March or April). Video Games Chronicle also confirmed the timeline with its own sources, claiming that the remake could be released as early as April. There was no news from the studio about reshoots in March. According to multiple leaks and strong rumors coming from different sources, the game may be released sometime this month.
The earliest leaks about the project date back to 2023, indicating that the Oblivion remake is being developed by Virtous, a studio known for supporting the development of numerous AAA games. The game is reportedly being rebuilt in Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5.
Leaked court documents from a 2023 lawsuit between Microsoft and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over Xbox parent company’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard revealed that Bethesda is developing a series of unannounced games, including remasters of “Fallout 3” and “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.”
In early January this year, a report from MP1st shared the first details about the Annihilation remake, claiming that the project was real and was indeed a complete remaster, not a remaster.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was released on PC and Xbox 360 in 2006, and on PS3 a year later. Bethesda RPG was critically acclaimed and won multiple Game of the Year awards. It remains a fan-favorite game and is considered one of the greatest games of all time.
