Original Oblivion Dev Confesses Leveling Design Flaw

The original Oblivion designer now acknowledges the world-scale leveling system as a design misstep. Continue reading for insights into his perspective on the game's updates and its continued success since launch.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Changes Earn Praise From Original Developer

World-Scale Leveling System Persists in Remaster

Original Oblivion designer Bruce Nesmith recently acknowledged that implementing world-scale leveling was an oversight, though the feature remains in the remastered version. In an interview with VideoGamer, Nesmith discussed the game's progression systems.

The veteran designer, whose credits include Fallout 3, Skyrim, and Starfield, noted that the remaster's adjustments to leveling mechanics make it more accessible for contemporary players.

While the original required players to advance major skills multiple times before resting to level up attributes, the remaster adopts Skyrim-style progression where actions contribute XP across all skill lines. Nesmith commended Bethesda's decision to implement this change, calling it "bold."

However, Nesmith maintained reservations about keeping the world-scaling feature, where enemies level alongside the player. "It makes players feel like their progression doesn't matter," he noted, adding "this approach was abandoned in Skyrim for good reason."

Since the 2006 release, this design choice has prompted fan-made mods to address the issue - a trend continuing with the remaster's launch as modders work to modify the scaling system.

Oblivion Remastered Surpasses Expectations

While rumors of an Oblivion remaster circulated for years, few anticipated the extensive overhaul ultimately delivered. Nesmith himself expected simple texture upgrades akin to Skyrim's Special Edition.

In his VideoGamer interview, he praised the development team's ambitious approach: "The sheer scale of improvements almost demands a new terminology - 'remaster' doesn't fully capture the transformation."

Bethesda's comprehensive rebuild using Unreal Engine 5 has eliminated technical limitations from the original, earning widespread acclaim for its visual and technical enhancements. Here at Game8, we awarded the remaster a 90/100 for its loving recreation of Cyrodiil with contemporary technology. Find our detailed analysis in the article below!