After years of pushing back on modern touch-ups, Todd Howard now backs the “best possible version” approach as Oblivion Remastered proves the demand is real.
You are living at a time when remasters and remakes are no longer side projects. They are now a major part of how big publishers plan their future. Across the industry, studios have learned that revisiting familiar games is often safer than taking a gamble on new ideas. When done well, these projects revive old franchises. When done poorly, they still tend to sell well enough to justify the effort. That reality explains why so many companies continue digging into their back catalogs.
Capcom helped set the standard we see today. Resident Evil 2 Remake was a huge hit, selling about 15 million copies. Even though Resident Evil 3 Remake received a lot of negative reviews, it still sold almost 10 million copies. After these successes, Capcom proved that updated classics could compete with new games.
You saw that momentum keep going with projects like the Dead Space Remake, which showed how older franchises could come back with a modern twist. At the same time, these releases showed a common problem. Even when fans really want a remake, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll keep watching the series for long. You might get one great new release and then nothing else.
For business reasons, this setting has made remakes and remasters appealing.
The audience is already there. The brand recognition is already there. It’s easier to market. There is less risk. Konami’s return with a faithful remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 is a good example of how this works. The company appeals to both old fans and new players by keeping the original’s structure and essence.
Some remakes, on the other hand, try to change the source material. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a good example of a release that changes the original instead of just rebuilding it. This shows how remakes and remasters are different. Modern gaming works best when remasters preserve the original experience while improving performance. Remakes usually give any particular game a whole new look by changing its mechanics, structure, or style.
This distinction has always mattered to Bethesda, especially to Todd Howard. For many years, he was openly skeptical of remasters. His position emphasized preserving a game’s original identity. He argued that a game’s age was part of its personality and that players should experience older titles as they were designed. Backwards compatibility, in his view, was better than rebuilding the past.
In earlier interviews, Todd expressed satisfaction that players could access games like Morrowind without altering them.
Skyrim Remastered was justified partly because the original simply looked modern. Older titles, he suggested, did not need that treatment. Fallout 1 was also cited as a game that could already be played in its original form on PC, making modernization unnecessary.
On paper, this philosophy made sense. It presented Bethesda as a studio focused on moving forward rather than recycling old work. For a long time, the company seemed committed to this idea, even as fans kept asking for modern versions of classic games.
Over time, however, that stance became harder to defend. Some older Bethesda titles run poorly on certain systems. Others are difficult for console players to access at all. As hardware generations changed, “you can play it somewhere” became an unsatisfying answer. That tension became more obvious when Bethesda continued releasing new versions of Skyrim across multiple platforms.
The real turning point happened with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. This release served as a shift in how Bethesda talked about revisiting its past. In recent interviews, Todd admitted that his stance on remasters had softened. He made it clear that he still dislikes full remakes, but he now sees value in carefully handled remasters.
His updated view focuses on delivering what he calls the best possible version of the first game.
Instead of rebuilding from scratch, Bethesda keeps the foundation intact and treats the project as though the original had received years of thoughtful updates. The idea is to imagine what the game would look like if it had been refined continuously over time.
With Oblivion, that meant keeping its world, tone, and visual style while improving performance, adding quality-of-life features, and modernizing presentation. The goal was not to redesign it into something closer to Skyrim. It was to present the version players remembered, just cleaner and easier to play.
This approach sets a higher standard than basic remasters. It goes beyond simple resolution upgrades. It aims to deliver a definitive edition that seems authentic in a modern environment. That said, the process is not flawless. Some players found Oblivion Remastered more difficult to play in certain ways, especially due to engine-related issues. New technology can improve visuals while bringing in new problems.
Despite those concerns, Oblivion Remastered delivered what mattered most to Bethesda: major commercial success. Industry tracking placed it among the top 10 best-selling games of 2025, ranking it at number 9. That put it alongside annual giants and blockbuster franchises.
This result was significant. It showed that a remaster of a nearly two-decade-old RPG could still compete with the biggest modern releases. It also proved that players were willing to pay for a high-quality update, especially at a reasonable price. At around $50, it seemed like a safe purchase, yet it still became a major seller.
For Bethesda, this success changed their thought process.
It confirmed that legacy titles still carry enormous value. It also showed that remasters can help fill the long gaps between major releases. With The Elder Scrolls 6 still far away and Fallout developing slowly, modernized classics give the studio a way to stay visible.
The strong performance of Oblivion Remastered also weakened arguments that Bethesda’s audience is shrinking. Regardless of debates about quality, the fan base still shows up. When a remaster can reach the top ten, it becomes difficult to argue that future mainline titles will struggle commercially.
The next challenge is deciding which games deserve similar treatment. Not every title fits the Oblivion model. Morrowind is the most requested candidate, but it presents serious obstacles. Technical issues are one problem. Former developers have suggested that the original source code may no longer be usable.
Design issues are just as important. Morrowind reflects an older RPG philosophy that many modern players find frustrating. Combat relies heavily on statistical calculations instead of direct feedback, leading to attacks that appear to miss even when they connect. While this was once standard, it clashes with modern expectations.
Fixing these systems would require major changes. At that point, the project would become closer to a remake than a remaster. That conflicts with Todd’s stated preference. As a result, Morrowind remains stuck between nostalgia and practicality, which, in turn, is a bummer for fans.
Daggerfall presents an even bigger problem with scale.
Its world is enormous, far larger than most modern open-world games. Rebuilding it at full size would be an enormous task. Simplifying it would risk losing what made it unique. A remaster would not solve its approachability issues, and a full remake would require years of development.
Modern procedural technology, as seen in Starfield, shows that Bethesda has tools capable of handling massive environments. Even so, recreating Daggerfall in a form that modern players would embrace remains unrealistic, at least as of right now.
Fallout occupies a different position. Fallout 1 and 2 are classic isometric RPGs, very different from later entries. They are historically important but difficult for many players to access, especially on consoles.
There is a strong case for remaking these games. Modern RPG success and the popularity of the Fallout TV series have renewed interest in early Fallout lore. A modern reimagining could introduce these stories to a wider audience. However, doing so would create long-term expectations and commit Bethesda to a large development path. Given Todd’s reluctance toward remakes, this seems unlikely for now.
That makes Fallout 3 the next most realistic candidate. It already fits Bethesda’s modern framework. Its systems can be updated using Fallout 4 as a base, improving gunplay, progression, and presentation. From a strategic perspective, it makes sense. The game is old enough to benefit from modernization but recent enough to remain compatible with current design standards.
Speculation and leaks suggest Fallout 3 is already being considered. If Bethesda follows the Oblivion blueprint, it would likely receive similar treatment.
Bethesda is now part of the remaster era that it once fought against. Todd Howard still talks about preservation and identity, but Oblivion’s success showed that modernizing things carefully doesn’t destroy those values. Instead, it can make them stronger by keeping classic experiences alive.
The main criticism is not that Bethesda embraced remasters. It is that the studio waited so long. With long gaps between major releases, earlier remasters could have maintained momentum and served fans better. Years ago, simple ports would have been enough. Today, expectations are higher.
Todd has often spoken about the value of letting audiences miss franchises. Absence can build anticipation. But extended absence creates frustration. Many players do not want to wait a decade to revisit worlds they love and care for.
Oblivion Remastered represents a course correction. It shows that Bethesda has found a way to modernize its past without abandoning its principles. If the company proceeds down this path, Fallout 3 and possibly New Vegas are likely next. Beyond that, projects become more complex and uncertain.
For now, it looks like Bethesda wants to improve on its previous work. The studio can appease both longtime fans and new players alike by creating high-quality remasters that remain true to the originals. Oblivion showed that this plan works. The next step is to maintain that standard while also determining how far back Bethesda is willing to go in its history.
