Confidential and unredacted Microsoft documents have leaked in the FTC case over the Activision Blizzard King acquisition. This is a huge error that has revealed several of Xbox’s unannounced projects, such as remasters ofOblivionandFallout 3.
These were in development prior to Microsoft acquiring Bethesda in 2020, so things might be different now three years later. The scope of the projects may have changed and some may have been cancelled internally. COVID-19 could have even played a factor.
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The Oblivion remaster was originally set to launch in fiscal year 2022, and the Fallout 3 remaster in fiscal year 2024. Oblivion was clearly delayed or cancelled - we can only speculate as there is very little information and all of these details were uncovered by a leak, not an official announcement. However, there could be a good reason for delays, as the project may have blossomed into something more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that an alleged former Virtuos Games employee posted on Reddit earlier this year about an Oblivionremake.They claimed that the entire game was being developed in Unreal Engine 5 with much of the core gameplay and physics still using the original Creation Engine. It was supposedly set to launch in 2024-2025, two to three years after the document claims. It’s possible that, since the document was put together and Microsoft acquired Bethesda, the Oblivion remaster turned into a remake and was suitably delayed.
Virtuos Games is working onthe Metal Gear Solid 3 remakealongside Konami, so it’s no stranger to ambitious overhauls of beloved classics. Whether it truly is developing the Oblivion ‘remaster’, however, is unclear. The document does not say and the claim was made by an anonymous, unproven Reddit user, so take it with a grain of salt.
Aside from Fallout 3 and Oblivion remasters, this document also revealed thata new Doom game, called Year Zero, and Dishonored 3are in development at Bethesda. Again, there’s very little information about either of these projects, and the document is now three years old and predates the Microsoft buyout, so anything could have changed.
Originally, Doom Year Zero was planned to launch in fiscal year 2023 while Dishonored 3 was set to release in fiscal year 2024. FY2023 ends on September 30, so Doom Year Zero was evidently pushed back. It’s likely that projects set for FY2024 have been delayed as well, including the Fallout 3 remaster.
