Oblivion Remastered Gained a Higher Age Rating Than the Original

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has been rated M (Mature) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), unlike the original game, which received a T (Teen) rating. Oblivion Remastered has essentially the same content as the original Elder Scrolls 4, along with its expansions, but it seems that even minor changes were enough to earn the game a higher age rating than it did back in 2006.

Oblivion Remastered was recently shadow dropped by Bethesda after months of speculation about a possible remake of the popular open-world RPG. Instead of a remake, Bethesda decided to call the title a remaster, redesigning the game using Unreal Engine 5 while trying to keep all the elements that made fans love the original Oblivion intact. However, the new version has some significant changes, such as an improved leveling system, slightly tweaked modern controls, UI, and more.

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Now, despite originally attributing a T rating to Oblivion Remastered, the same one Oblivion boasted in 2006, the ESRB has gone back on its previous decision and instead rated the game as M. In a correction, the ESRB claimed that due to the presence of “content that was not fully disclosed” when Oblivion Remastered was first submitted, the organization decided to increase its age rating. The main reason for the change was that, unlike in the original Elder Scrolls 4, Oblivion Remastered “involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore.” Another reason provided was that a partially nude female model can be accessed in the game’s PC version with the use of mods, which gave Oblivion Remastered the “Nudity” label, too, until the files are removed.

Oblivion Remastered Rated M for Mature Because of ‘More Detailed Depictions of Blood and Gore’

In any case, Oblivion Remastered has been a huge hit. While Bethesda has not revealed any sales numbers yet, Oblivion Remastered peaked at 182,298 players on Steam on its first day, an impressive number considering the title has been priced at $50 and is also available on Xbox Game Pass.

Not everybody has loved the remaster, though. Blizzard’s ex-president, Mike Ybarra, threw shade at Oblivion Remaster recently, claiming that even a game that was once “fantastic” can’t hold up against modern masterpieces such as Elden Ring, which made him skeptical about the new release.

Despite the success, Oblivion Remastered will not have official mod support, which is disappointing news for fans as most previous Bethesda games offer this option. This could put the longevity of the remaster in jeopardy, as mods are a big part of why Bethesda’s games continue to be so popular years after their original releases.