"The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered" appears to be one of the most promising Bethesda games so far this 2025. During its launch, fans feared that this could be another cash grab game. However, the latest "Mixed" reviews on Steam are not about the cost of its DLC or other bonus content.
Gamers think that despite its strong launch, its technical problems and lack of support for the modding community are not addressed seriously on the PC platform.
Early Success and Quick Player Count Decline
When Bethesda Softworks suddenly dropped "Oblivion Remastered" earlier this year, it immediately made waves, becoming one of the most-played games on several platforms in short order.
The Steam player base jumped well over 200,000 concurrent players soon after launch, boasting high upfront interest. This momentum was fleeting, however. The player base continued a steady decline, reaching its peak at only about 10,000 players by July, and then dropping again to about 4,000 more recently, according to GameRant.
Technical Problems Irritate PC Players
One of the primary reasons for declining review scores and player base lies in the constant technical issues with the PC version. Players experience regular frame rate drops, slow load times, and stability concerns that greatly affect gameplay experience.
Scarily, the game actually seemed to run better when it initially launched compared to how it runs after receiving later patches, indicating that new patches brought more issues than they solved.
Slow and Unpredictable Patch Releases
Compounding the disappointment is the slow action of Bethesda Game Studios and its development partner, Virtuos, in fixing bugs. The last major updates were in rapid succession in June and July, but nothing has followed since then to fix the lingering issues of performance and stability.
Doubt over continued support has set many players questioning whether the game will see additional updates or if the July patch was the last.
Lack of Mod Support Damages Community Attraction
One key failing for "Oblivion Remastered" is a lack of support for user-created mods. The original "Elder Scrolls" games derive much of their sustained popularity from robust modding communities that add new gameplay and content.
Without robust mod support, "Oblivion Remastered "cannot compete with equivalents like "Skyrim," which is popular in large part because of its large mod scene.
Bethesda Should Listen to Complaints
With simultaneous Steam players at an all-time low and an increasing migration of fans back to "Skyrim," "Oblivion Remastered" has a tough journey ahead. The classic may have nostalgia working in its favor, but short of addressing fundamental technical issues and adopting modding, its future on the PC is far from guaranteed. Bethesda should listen to its customers after all this mess.
Originally published on Player One
