James Lucas is an editor based in Newcastle, England. They've written for sites like IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247 with a special focus on FPS games, Soulslikes, and survival horror.
Last year, Virtuos and Bethesda shadowdropped the long-rumored Oblivion remaster, and itg quickly sold over 1 million copies on PS5 alone, making it the third best-selling Xbox game on the platform in 2025.
However, despite this huge success, not many players actually stayed in Cyrodiil. According to Alinea Analytics (via FRVR), “Nearly half of Oblivion Remastered players on PS5 have played for less than 15 hours, showing that most people are feeling nostalgic before making any meaningful progress.”
Only 55% of Oblivion Remastered players became Kvatch heroes on Steam
Steam achievements paint a very similar picture. Only 55% of players fought their way through Kvatch to close the first Oblivion Gate, and only 23% joined the iconic Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood factions.
-
32% joined the Fighters Guild.
-
11% went into the Shivering Isles.
-
7.5% completed the main quest.
It's unclear why so many players rejected the Oblivion remaster. In an RPG this big, 15 hours isn't really that much time. But it's likely related to lack of mod support. Especially since most of the work was done in Unreal Engine 5. And for serious newcomers to Skyrim, the more archaic combat, still lurking beneath a nice new coat of paint, will probably prove too jarring.
Professional industry analyst Rhys Elliot expects the Starfield PS5 port to perform better, thanks in part to the 2.0 update.
Nonetheless, it was an undeniable hit that left Todd Howard and team wanting more Shadowdrop in the future. Just two months ago, Bethesda executive Tum Mustaine said, “It was great to own the Internet that day, and I hope it won't be the last time.”
- released
-
April 22, 2025
- ESRB
-
Ages 17+ // Blood and gore, sexual themes, violence
