The Elder Scrolls is in a weird place as a franchise at the moment, with everyone waiting patiently for The Elder Scrolls 6. However, to try and fill the void and pass the time, Bethesda hs opted to give us varying different Elder Scrolls experiences, one of which being the remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion which launched last year.
It’s safe to say it was a smash hit for the company, becoming one of the best-selling titles of the year, which inevitably had people wondering whether Bethesda would do the same for the rest of the series, particularly Morrowind. It’s just as beloved as Oblivion, but admittedly has a lot rougher edges given that it’s a lot older. There are also a few more systems that we would consider archaic in place too, so it would require a lot more love and work than Oblivion would.
Morrowind Wouldn’t “Stand The Test Of Time” As A Remaster, Claims Ex-Bethesda Dev
It would be such an effort on Bethesda’s part that one veteran of the studio wonders whether it would even be worth remastering. That veteran is Bruce Nesmith, who argued in a recent interview with PressBoxUK (thanks Eurogamer) that a remaster of Morrowind “would not stand the test of time,” for a variety of reasons.
Morrowind Remaster Would “Ruin The Game” According To Developers Of Morrowind’s Biggest Mod
It also doesn’t seem to be a priority for Bethesda.
One of those reasons is more technical, as Nesmith reckons that Bethesda might not even have the original source code to hand anymore. He argues that remastering Oblivion was probably a simpler task, given that Bethesda still had the source code, but not having Morrowind’s on hand would make it trickier. However, even if Bethesda did have it, Nesmith thinks to Morrowind is now far too old for modern audiences to actually enjoy playing.
“We all have these fond memories of things that were pivotal moments in our gaming fantasy histories that we absolutely move but you go back and play a 20 year old game and you will cringe,” says Nesmith.
“People even had cringe moments with the Oblivion remake but they forgave it because they’re reliving something, they’re enjoying the nostalgia. I worked on Oblivion. I’m even responsible for some of those cringe moments! The further back you go, the more that’s going to be an issue. The reality of playing Morrowind would not stand the test of time, in my opinion.”
It’s an interesting point, though I’d imagine Morrowind has so many diehard fans out there already that sales wouldn’t be an issue. It’s archaic systems may put off newcomers, but we have seen with games like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 that some people like a bit of pushback from their video games. We’ll have to wait and see whether Bethesda actually has any plans for Morrowind, but right now, I’m sure most people would rather get The Elder Scrolls 6 in their hands first.
- Released
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May 1, 2002
- ESRB
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T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Bethesda Softworks
- Engine
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Gamebryo
