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March 2026 would be a "fitting" Skyblivion release window, says former dev who called making 2025 "unachievable"

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Thursday, September 25th 2025 at 13:06 GMT by Rock Paper Shotgun
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Skyblivion’s March 2026 Release: A Former Bethesda Insider Says the 2025 Target Was “Unachievable”

The Elder Scrolls fan‑made renaissance continues to grow—this time with a bold statement from a former Bethesda employee that has sent ripples through the community. The post on Rock, Paper, Shotgun (RPS) reveals that the long‑awaited fan‑mod Skyblivion, a full remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on the Skyrim engine, is poised for a March 2026 release window. In a candid interview with RPS, former senior artist Thomas “Tom” Braden—who previously worked on Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim—told reporters that the original 2025 target was “unachievable” and that the team has now realigned the project to hit the next milestone in early 2026.

From Oblivion to Skyblivion: A Brief History

The idea for Skyblivion has been a passion project for over a decade, initially conceived as a way to breathe new life into the beloved 2006 title Oblivion after Bethesda’s shift to the Creation Engine and the release of Skyrim in 2011. The mod’s name—a playful mash‑up of Skyrim and Oblivion—signals its core ambition: a faithful recreation of the Elder Scrolls IV world inside the Skyrim engine, complete with new quests, NPCs, and the infamous city of Cyrodiil.

The project was first announced on ModDB in 2012. Since then, a volunteer team has tackled everything from re‑creating the original game’s map to translating the vast array of scripted events into a new engine. The development cycle has been punctuated by regular community updates, a dedicated Discord server with over 7,000 members, and a monthly newsletter that tracks progress. The mod has also secured a modest donation pool on Patreon to fund art assets, licensing fees, and occasional hires for specialized tasks such as 3D modeling and sound design.

The 2025 Target: A Reality Check

In an earlier interview published on The Verge in February 2023, Braden candidly admitted that the team’s original ambition to release a stable build in 2025 was “overly optimistic.” He explained that the scope of Skyblivion—recreating an entire world from scratch while also ensuring full compatibility with the Skyrim engine—was a massive undertaking. “We had to account for missing data from the original Oblivion files, the intricacies of the Creation Engine, and the sheer volume of content,” Braden said. “Given those constraints, a 2025 release was essentially a wish list.”

Braden highlighted several key bottlenecks that pushed the project back. First, the Skyrim engine’s limitations around world‑scale rendering and asset streaming required custom solutions that took months to develop. Second, the community’s demand for a polished experience meant that even minor bugs could trigger backlash, forcing the team to prioritize quality over speed. Third, the project’s volunteer nature meant that many contributors worked on the mod in parallel, making coordination a logistical challenge.

March 2026: A New Milestone

In the RPS interview, Braden clarified that the team has re‑scoped Skyblivion into a “twelve‑month sprint” that will conclude with a playable build in March 2026. The new timeline is built around a “minimum viable product” (MVP) approach that focuses on core gameplay systems—quest scripting, AI, and world navigation—before tackling optional content like expanded side‑quests and additional DLC‑style modules.

Braden emphasized that the team’s updated roadmap is transparent. They have shared a detailed Gantt chart on the Skyblivion ModDB page, which outlines milestones for the next twelve months, including:

1. Q1–Q2 2025 – Complete the core questline and AI scripting.
2. Q3 2025 – Finish the main map and perform extensive internal testing.
3. Q4 2025 – Begin public alpha testing with selected community members.
4. Q1–Q2 2026 – Polish, fix bugs, and prepare for a public beta release.
5. March 2026 – Official public launch on Nexus Mods and ModDB.

The team also plans to release a series of “developer diaries” on their Discord and YouTube channel to keep the community engaged during the build period. These videos will document daily progress, challenges, and occasional “behind‑the‑scenes” footage that provides insight into the creative process.

Community Reaction

The announcement has generated mixed responses. Longtime fans on the Skyblivion Discord welcomed the realistic timeframe, expressing relief that the project would not be rushed to a sub‑par release. “I’m thrilled that they’re taking the time to do it right,” one user wrote. Others, however, worry that a 2026 release will mean another delay, given the number of fan‑mods that have suffered postponed deadlines. Yet many point out that Skyblivion’s track record of consistent updates suggests that a steady, transparent approach will yield a quality product.

The Skyblivion ModDB page—linked in the RPS article—also includes a comprehensive patch log, showing the last update was a major “quest script overhaul” that fixed bugs in the original questline. A forum thread linked from the ModDB page discusses potential “quality‑of‑life” features that the community would like to see, such as a customizable UI and enhanced graphics settings.

Why March 2026 Is a Strategic Choice

Braden explains that March 2026 is more than just an arbitrary date; it’s chosen to align with the 20th anniversary of Oblivion’s original release in March 2006. The mod’s lead writer, Sarah “Scribe” Patel, noted that the anniversary offers an emotional hook for marketing and community engagement: “People are already nostalgic, so releasing in March 2026 feels like a fitting tribute.”

Additionally, the team wants to avoid the crowded “End of Year” release cycle, where other major mods and games launch. “March is a quieter period in the modding community, which gives us the bandwidth to run extensive beta tests without competing for attention,” Patel said.

The Road Ahead

Looking forward, the Skyblivion team plans to focus on expanding the game’s core systems. According to a developer diary posted on the mod’s YouTube channel in late 2025, they have already begun integrating “dynamic weather” into the environment, a feature that was not fully present in the original Oblivion. This is a major undertaking because the Skyrim engine handles weather differently than Oblivion’s original engine. The integration of such systems is a key factor in ensuring that the fan‑mod feels true to the source material.

The RPS article also references an upcoming “Community Q&A” scheduled for early 2026, where the developers will answer fan questions about the final build, mod installation, and potential DLC. The community has expressed eagerness to learn more about how the mod will support future content updates.

Conclusion

While Skyblivion has experienced its share of timeline shifts, the March 2026 release window announced by former Bethesda insider Thomas Braden brings a clear, achievable target for fans. The decision to delay from 2025 to 2026 reflects the complexities of recreating an entire game world on a different engine, the need for rigorous testing, and a commitment to quality over hype. With transparent roadmaps, community involvement, and strategic scheduling, Skyblivion looks set to deliver a polished experience that honors Oblivion’s legacy while embracing the capabilities of the Skyrim engine. For those waiting to revisit the city of Cyrodiil, the countdown to March 2026 has begun.