Why Bethesda Outsourced Oblivion Remastered-and Why It’s Still Crushing 2025

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Yo, pok gai gamers! Bethesda’s Oblivion Remastered just dropped and it’s already one of the biggest hits of 2025-but here’s the kicker: the remaster wasn’t fully made by Bethesda themselves. Instead, they co-developed it with Virtuos’ Paris studio. Why? Let’s break it down. But first lets talk about learning AI with our sponsor of today:

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Why Another Company Took the Wheel

• Bethesda teamed up with Virtuos starting in 2021 to handle the heavy lifting on the graphics overhaul and technical upgrades. Virtuos brought Unreal Engine 5 expertise to the table, giving Oblivion a jaw-dropping facelift with ray tracing and modern visuals. Bethesda focused on preserving gameplay and lore while Virtuos handled the visual magic.

• This split let Bethesda juggle their big projects (hello, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI hype) without spreading their dev team too thin. Outsourcing remasters to trusted partners is a smart move to keep the brand alive and cash flowing without killing internal resources.

• The remaster blends Unreal Engine 5 for graphics with the original Gamebryo engine for gameplay, a hybrid approach that required specialized skills Virtuos was ready to deliver.

What Makes This Remaster Stand Out?

• It looks like a full remake but plays like the classic we love-updated animations, AI tweaks, better UI, and all expansions included.

• Released day one on Xbox Game Pass and major platforms, it’s already the third best-selling game of 2025 in the US, proving that nostalgia sells hard.

• Fans and even original devs say “remaster” doesn’t do it justice-it’s basically a new Oblivion with modern polish.

Bottom Line

Bethesda’s move to co-develop with Virtuos shows how big studios can leverage outside talent to revive classics without losing focus on new projects. And judging by the sales and hype, it’s a winning formula.

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PokGai Gamer