By Following the unexpected launch of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra stirred controversy by proposing that the nearly two-decade-old RPG “will not match up to contemporary masterpieces like Elden Ring.”
“I would welcome being proven incorrect, but I’m not,” Ybarra continued, emphasizing a transition “from conventional, open-world RPGs to the innovations Elden Ring has introduced.” He acknowledged the sentimentality around nostalgia but concluded that “I believe the gaming community desires originality and innovation more than ever.”
In what appears as a rebuttal to Ybarra’s viewpoint, and is certainly a pertinent remark, Michael Douse, publishing director from Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian, commented: “These veteran executives need to support potential Game of the Year candidates on their platforms, or they might feel overlooked at [The Game Awards]. There’s a growing impression that AAA is becoming increasingly disconnected from audience sentiments year after year.”
However, this discourse encompasses more than mere disagreements over nostalgia or creative ideals. For a while now, Douse has been advocating for a new approach to how people discover and experience games, highlighting that traditional marketing strategies no longer resonate in today’s landscape, particularly (but not solely) outside of the AAA sector.
To this day, his pinned tweet—a thread providing post-Baldur’s Gate 3 marketing insights—argues that “the most profound connection you can forge with an audience is what I term ‘true social resonance.’ This signifies a genuine engagement, whether short or long-term, with an audience you know will resonate with your work.”
Fast-forward to the launch of Oblivion Remastered, and Douse claimed “there is truly no more effective marketing campaign than viral, humorous expressions stemming from a Bethesda game.”
He reiterated that “regardless of the investment, you cannot surpass the social resonance generated by amusing face expressions.”
Meanwhile, Ybarra’s outright rejection of Oblivion Remastered occurs at a moment when it has rapidly become the Game of the Moment, and players—both nostalgic followers and intrigued newcomers—are largely showering it with accolades.
This presents a challenging and somewhat arbitrary discussion—how many contemporary titles “hold up” against Elden Ring?—that contradicts the remaster’s immediate popularity, and it can easily be perceived as reflective of an outdated perspective that more developers than just Douse have challenged.
I’ve personally engaged with numerous developers and publishers over the last few months (about larger projects that should come to light soon) regarding the industry’s trajectory and the elements that contribute to a Game Of The Moment, and Douse is not the only one recognizing that significant changes are underway.
Does fellow Game of the Moment REPO “stand up” against Elden Ring? Likely not, but convey that sentiment to the millions actively engaging and promoting it.
A fundamental allure of remasters like Oblivion’s is that they aren’t akin to modern titles, yet they can be redesigned to mirror them, aiding new players in overcoming the initial yuck response some may experience towards dated visuals.
Once you surpass that initial hesitation, you might find that the systems and concepts from the past not only endure but can sometimes outmaneuver certain modern games.
To directly revisit Ybarra’s argument, some of these concepts may even be so infrequent that, mined 19 years later, they appear “fresh and innovative.”
Ybarra has critiqued remasters previously, expressing last year that he is “hoping we won’t see a multitude of remasters continuing in the industry” just before Sony revealed an abundance of remasters that excited their respective fans.
Well, the remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn faced significant ridicule with no end in sight, but Lunar and Legacy of Kain enthusiasts were having a great time.
Many Elder Scrolls supporters consider Oblivion to be the pinnacle of the franchise, and for good reason. Setting aside market context, nostalgic appeal, and impressive Steam statistics regarding the remaster, it’s clear why some individuals would find Ybarra’s viewpoint contentious.
As our own Andrew Brown noted about his initial moments with Oblivion Remastered: “Valen Dreth continues to insult you from across the prison chamber. Yet, a different realm exists here, too. I can’t help but admire the way sunlight cascades into the cell, or the Seal of Akatosh now embellishing the sewer grate that leads to liberation. Oblivion Remastered looks fantastic – exceptionally fantastic – and… oh, it crashed when I attempted to exit. We are truly back.”