Oblivion Remasteredwas a success at launch. The shadow-dropped title garnered the attention of fans both old and new, and provides an experience that is incredibly nostalgic for veteran players, and essentially a newThe Elder Scrollsgame for new players, easing the wait forThe Elder Scrolls 6.Despite its success, one thing that marred its launch was the lack of official mod support. Without mod support, players were forced to use mods that were used for the originalOblivion, something that won’t be an option forThe Elder Scrolls 6.
One of the main reasons behindSkyrim’s success and longevity was its robust mod support, which allowed modders to build entire expansion packs withinSkyrim’s Creation Engine.The Elder Scrolls 6may get official modding support from its launch but, based onBethesda’s recent history with bothStarfieldand nowOblivion Remastered, it’s becoming more likely that it won’t get official mod support until sometime after its launch. In the long term, official mod support may arrive for bothOblivion RemasteredandThe Elder Scrolls 6. However, the delayed introduction of these tools could prove costly. By the time modding becomes possible, much of the player base may have moved on to other games.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Needs Mod Support at Launch
Modding has been central to the longevity ofBethesda’s most successful games.Skyrimis the best example of this, having maintained an active player base for more than a decade thanks largely to its vibrant modding community. Bethesda’s support of modders means that creating mods is a smooth process, while players are able to install them into their games in a streamlined process and with minimal issues.
Official mod channels such as the Creation Club have ensured a steady flow of new content that includes UI changes, items, and mods as big as expansion packs. The wide range of content available to players thanks to the hard work and creativity of modders has keptSkyrimplayers engaged far beyond the typical RPG lifecycle.
It’s been just a few months sinceOblivion Remastered’s release, and players are already beginning to exhaust everything available inOblivion. Without new content, there’s little incentive for players to keep coming back outside of annual playthroughs.Skyrimdidn’t have this problem for several reasons, but largely because of its mod support at launch.The Elder Scrolls 6may only get official mod support from Bethesda months or even years after its release. While late mod support is better than none at all, it’ll damage the replayability and longevity ofThe Elder Scrolls 6.
Getting mod support so long after launch is also problematic as it coincides with the period when many players typically exhaust a game’s base content and drift away to other titles.
Modding Extends the Life Cycles of Games Several Times Over
Skyrimavoided this pitfall by embracing its modding community early and officially supporting their efforts throughplatforms like its Creation Club. The result has been an enduring relevance that few other games can match. IfOblivion RemasteredandThe Elder Scrolls 6fail to provide similar opportunities, they risk a much shorter window of player engagement.
The importance of timely mod support cannot be overstated. Major mods that include voice acting and expansive environments and questlines often require over a year of development by community teams, withmods likeSkyblivionandSkywindbeing in development for several years. Without official tools ready early in a game’s lifecycle, modders are forced to delay their projects, leaving players with fewer reasons to return once they have exhausted all content in a game, or even played it several times over.
