Remastering Recent Games Is A Pointless, Sisyphean Task
I obviously understand why companies want to remaster their games. It's a lot of hard work, but it's a lot less hard work than making a whole new game, and only one of them is certain to make lots of money. New games, and especially new IPs, now come with enormous risk, where hundreds of millions of dollars can evaporate in a single disastrous launch week. The teams creating Concord and Suicide Squadworked incredibly hard, exhaustingly so, and the results were massive financial black holes. If their time had instead been dedicated to making a proven success look prettier, profits would have been practically guaranteed. Remastering games is a pragmatic decision based on prudent economics. It's just that it also sucks.
Here's a secret fact about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: It works just fine. Great, in fact. Released in 2006, you can buy it from Steam right now for $15 (and frequently far, far less), and it works perfectly right away. It runs in 2560x1440, requires no hacks or mods, and within minutes of booting it up just now I wasn't noticing that the graphics are dated. Heck, Bethesda games' graphics are dated at launch, invariably improved by modders in the months that follow—no one was buying Oblivion for its looks in 2006, not least the hilariously terrible character models. And given Starfield's are just as embarrassing, it's not like that's going to suddenly improve either.
The point is, Oblivion already exists in a very playable form that's just as entertaining and flawed as it was 20 years ago. Also, there are 20 years' worth of mods to improve all the aspects that Bethesda is pathologically incapable of doing well—UI, facial animations, inventory arrangement, voice acting, textures—to have the game look and run exactly as you want. So what, precisely, is an officially remastered Oblivion for?
Yes, like I said, it's for making money, especially from long-term fans of the game who do want to see it look prettier, returning to a Cyrodiil whose graphics look like their two-decade-old invented memories of the original. There's also the potential to draw in a new audience who's perhaps only ever played Skyrim, so they can be disappointed to learn the predecessor wasn't nearly as good. But even Skyrim's original audience is noticing a little more grey in their hair, given that was nearly 14 years ago.
This is then made more frustrating given the extraordinary efforts of the Skyblivion modders, who have spent over a decade remaking Oblivion in Skyrim's engine, hoping to finally finish their herculean project in 2025. They say they aren't too upset by the clash with this official remaster, but come on—how incredibly galling for them. Yet it's worth noting that Skyblivion has a far more distinct aesthetic than the wishy-washy meh-ness of what we've seen of Bethesda's version in the leaks.
Releasing remasters is now incredibly commonplace, for all the reasons given above, but there's also a sad irony to this focus on remastering big-name titles from the past few decades. While GOG has recently launched some significant efforts to preserve PC gaming, it's barely scratching the surface of a vast history of video games that are being lost to time and technology, because those who own the rights either don't care or are actively hostile to anyone attempting to preserve their games for them. Games that cannot just be bought from Steam and run with a click are certainly not receiving elaborate remakes, and can now only be played via illegal methods.
Now, I'm not daft, and I'm not advocating for publishers to spend millions of dollars remastering forgotten, obscure games from their 1980s and '90s catalogues; I know they're far more likely to plunder them for titles to attach to wildly different new games (cough-Marathon-cough). Still, I do really believe that dedicating a fraction of the resources that go into remasters to preserving a company's back-catalogue would be beneficial to humanity. Or, you know, just releasing them into the public domain like they obviously should.
However, I think this should also be recognized as part of the existential malaise in which video games now find themselves, where the AA game is all but non-existent and new ideas are kryptonite to publishers.
Yes, the ballooning costs of game development would be the subject of a whole other article, and the industry's obsessive focus on live-service is yet another, but these and other crippling aspects of game creation under late-stage capitalism all contribute toward the reasons why remastering has become so endemic. As I've said, it's safe. And right now, publishers are retreating toward perceived safety like terrified kittens. But doing this can only make the problems worse—they can only solidify the notion that the only sure way to make a profitable game is to have it be one you've made already.
What we need are bold new ideas made at sensible prices. And it's agonizing to watch the indie world produce original hit after original hit, and publishers unable to recognize how they could be funding and profiting from this phenomenon at a AA level. The reason there are so many great games to plunder and remaster is because for decades previously, this is how game development worked! There was no need for a game to make half a billion dollars for it to have been worth releasing, when doing so gave the developers the opportunity to create fresh conceits that could gain widening popularity that fueled ever-more sequels and spin-offs.
Because while it's grimly amusing to joke about Naughty Dog remaking the same three games for the rest of eternity, the company also demonstrates that it's a Sisyphean task. Endlessly updating a game to reflect the latest gimmicks in graphics is folly, that boulder always rolling back down as fast as it can be pushed up, withe the miserable irony that it's just as good of a boulder when left at the bottom of the hill.
Bethesda, for crying out loud, get on with making TheElder Scrolls VI and leave the perfectly good and perfectly enjoyable Oblivion and Fallout 3 to the modders. And, for goodness sakes, release Morrowind's source code. And the same goes for everyone else.
.
For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Engadget
a day ago
- Engadget
Sony's wireless fight stick is now called FlexStrike and it features mechanical switch buttons
Sony just dropped some more details about its upcoming wireless fight stick, including the real name. During development, it was known as Project Defiant but it's officially called the FlexStrike. This is the very first fight stick controller designed by Sony Interactive and it's compatible with both PS5 and PC via either a wired or wireless connection. It's also extremely easy on the eyes, as you can see below. Fighting games require precise inputs with no lag, and wireless controllers aren't typically the preferred option. However, FlexStrike capitalizes on the PlayStation Link technology to deliver "ultra-low latency wireless" gameplay. This requires the included PS Link USB adapter, which is compatible with USB-C ports. The controller features angled surfaces and a non-slip base so it shouldn't move around during frantic play sessions. It also includes a custom-designed digital stick and mechanical switch buttons. It even features a touchpad, so it boasts just about every input found on a traditional DualSense. The aforementioned adapter can be used to connect two FlexStrike controllers at once, or to pair a single controller with Sony's Pulse Elite headset or Pulse Explore earbuds. A standard DualSense can also remain connected to a PS5 at the same time, for menu-diving and the like. The FlexStrike controller will be available sometime in 2026. We don't have a price yet, but we do know that it ships with a nifty carrying case.


Digital Trends
a day ago
- Digital Trends
Silksong will be playable next month, but only if you can get to Gamescom
Gamescom 2025 is shaping up to be a groundbreaking event with playable demos of many highly-anticipated games, including Hollow Knight: Silksong. Unfortunately, the demos will only be available to those who are present at the event, so anyone not making the trek to Germany is out of luck (for now.) Still, a playable demo is great news for fans who have waited years for Silksong to release. The news dropped today in an Xbox Wire post. Maxi Graeff, Xbox's gaming marketing lead for Germany, wrote that Gamescom will have more than 20 titles available to play, as well as hands-on experiences with both the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X. In addition, Gamescom 2025 will also have a World of Warcraft celebration focused around the upcoming Midnight expansion and its anticipated housing feature. Playable demos will be available for the following games from third-party studios: Hollow Knight: Silksong Borderlands 4 Onimusha: Way of The Sword Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater EA Sports FC 26 Aniimo There Are No Ghosts at the Grand PowerWash Simulator 2 Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Final Fantasy XVI Invincible VS Super Meat Boy 3D Cronos: The New Dawn Mistfall Hunter Recommended Videos In addition, Grounded 2, Ninja Gaiden 4, and several other titles will also be present with hands-on demos, while games like The Outer Worlds 2 will have a theatrical presentation that dives deeper into its late-stage capitalistic setting. Bethesda is hosting its own broadcast straight from the show floor starting on Friday, and Xbox FanFest is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Although the contest winners have already been chosen, Xbox invites more fans to sign up in the sweepstakes for next year. There will be a live broadcast covering many announcements starting at 9 AM ET on Wednesday, August 20 and Thursday, August 21. It might not be exactly the same as being there in-person, but the broadcast is a great way for fans to stay up to date on all of the latest announcements.

Engadget
2 days ago
- Engadget
The video game adaptation of cult classic Toxic Crusaders cartoon finally gets a release date
The streets of Tromaville, New Jersey are calling once again as the video game adaptation of the off-the-wall cartoon series Toxic Crusaders gets a release date. Seen in an official trailer from Retroware that was shown off during San Diego Comic-Con and shared online by IGN, the Toxic Crusaders game is releasing on December 4 on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Steam. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. As a true callback to the quirky cartoon from the '90s, the video game is designed as a side-scrolling beat 'em up, all packaged in a fitting pixel art style. In Toxic Crusaders , you can select up to seven characters from the series, each with their own unique movesets and abilities, and join together for up to four players in local co-op. For Toxic Crusaders fans wanting more after the original series ended without a second season, this adaptation picks up where things left off. You'll still run into some familiar faces, like the story's main villain, Dr. Killemoff and his two bumbling henchmen. For followers of the franchise, it's been a discouraging journey since Retroware first announced the adaptation for release in 2023. It's been delayed a couple of times, but the latest trailer finally offers a definitive date. If you can't wait until December, you can catch The Toxic Avenger film — which is a reboot of the original movie from 1984 that the Toxic Crusaders cartoon was adapted from — in theaters on August 29.