Skyblivion, a highly ambitious project that aims to recreate The Elder Scrolls IV using Skyrim’s engine, recently gave fans a sneak peek of its latest quest gameplay at the Community Creations Con (C3), gearing up for its scheduled 2025 release.
The plan was to showcase about 30 minutes of gameplay, but it stretched out to 40 minutes instead. Sometimes, that’s just how it goes—especially when an NPC you expect to find in one spot decides to mix things up and sit somewhere unexpected.
Recently, the Skyblivion team hit a significant milestone by completing the landscaping work on Cyrodiil’s final region, the Niben Basin and Valley. With this important stage behind them, the gameplay they presented focused primarily on the city of Cheydinhal and its surroundings.
During the showcase, two quests were highlighted. The first involved the Fighters Guild, where you must help Biene Amelion settle her debt. The second was the memorable ‘A Brush with Death’. For those who may not recall, this quest involves entering the painted world of dark elf Rythe Lythandas to rescue him using a magic brush.
One of the standout aspects was the impressive level of detail and polish in Skyblivion’s worldspaces at this development stage. Seeing project lead Kyle ‘Rebelzize’ Rebel stroll into Cheydinhal brought a wave of nostalgia. The team has managed to preserve the classic essence of the game, while smoothing out some of its more dated 2006 graphics.
The painted world segment exemplifies this balance beautifully. In Oblivion’s original 2025 standard, it’s a quaint space, remarkable mainly for its oil painting-style aesthetic. Skyblivion, however, expands it into a more extensive and visually striking dungeon, which manages to maintain its unique charm within Skyrim’s realistic art style, culminating in a finale space resembling an unfinished canvas.
Another aspect worth mentioning is the mod’s revamped interaction menu UI. It’s been redesigned to provide a fresh experience while echoing Oblivion’s unique feel, complementing the mod’s Skyrim-like inventory, compass, and map. You might encounter a surprising detail: some skeleton enemies sport tails. This is thanks to the modders crafting specific skeletons for elves and beast races, an upgrade beyond Skyrim’s originals.
Despite not having a specific release date, the team reaffirmed their confidence in meeting the 2025 timeline during the showcase. They’re optimistic about getting it out this year.
What are your thoughts on this recent glimpse of Skyblivion? Share your impressions in the comments, and don’t miss our recent interview with Skyblivion project lead Rebel, where you can dive into their thoughts on the buzz surrounding official Oblivion remake rumors.
