The word from Bethesda is that they eventually made the announcement of a physical edition for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and along with it the retro Black Horse Courier reference which is a big part of the nostalgia factor. The studio’s representative is saying “Here, take my plate!” while the gamers continue to ask “Why not?” after they discovered what the disc actually contains.
The tweet from the official company account was the announcement and the next thing was the players’ and media’s applause along with the comments going off like a roast session. Gamers were very quick to realize that this thing marketed as “the physical edition” is nothing more than a disc that comes with 19GB of data, which is only the tutorial section. The rest of the game? A huge download of over 100 GB, which is available only to those with internet access and hence becomes a great inconvenience for others.
A user called @asoggycorndog summarized the situation in a very short manner: “the disc acts as a tutor and forces a 100+ GB update to get the whole game.” And from the other side? Simply wow, just say the word physical then.
Public reaction has been very negative. User @TreeSquid has labeled it “a download voucher in a box” while @IsatisAngel has taken a completely different and more dramatic route, calling it “the physical scam” and accusing game producer Bethesda of being “traitors to gamers who loved your games since Arena.” That’s certainly harsh and very pointed criticism, no doubt!
The main concern for gamers has been the issue of those with slow internet connections being at a disadvantage. @Sonic_Streaker has been the one to lay out the very elaborate story of how gamers in hard-to-reach areas are being left out, and worse, how the whole idea of selling physical media is being defeated. They cited that other publishers manage to pull off good physical releases – like Sega with Sonic Racing, Konami with Silent Hill F, and Larian Studios even did multiple discs for Baldur’s Gate 3. So, the question is, how come Bethesda is still having these problems?
The whole episode has been a big question mark for the players’ community. @DeadSpacedOut even pointed out the irony of a game being marketed as “offline only” but actually requiring an internet connection to play. In contrast, @VscEsq has just flat-out told ‘[them to] stop being greedy and do right by your customers.’ Oof.
Bethesda tried to clear the air in one of their replies by saying, “To play requires an internet connection to download the full game files and extras, but the game can be played offline after the downloads are complete.” However, players are still not convinced – literally and figuratively. There were a lot of comments made about the user saying they would not buy because of the downloading requirement.
The question Becks to the mound is, amidst all the confusion surrounding the physical edition debacle, are there still players who want to know more about the game – for example, where’s that Snow Elf DLC (@myrtogen curious about it) and when is the Switch 2 version (@king_goomba and @Cpt_Eggbeard are waiting)? But mainly, the discourse is about the physical media question.
The situation has been rather turbulent. It is highly possible that Bethesda thought they were doing customers a favor by offering the physical alternative while in fact, they created what @Sonic_Streaker aptly described as “an expensive demo disc.” And frankly, they are not wrong – would you be willing to pay full price for a disc that would only let you play through the sewer tutorial? That’s essentially charging for a deluxe coaster that comes with a download code.
The issue of timing is also a big downer – @DeadSpacedOut has stated that “after we all bought the digital edition” is just the way they are doing it now which just aggravates the wound for the early adopters.
Moreover, this whole issue is a sign of the larger industry transition away from physical media. The gaming companies are constantly putting out these “physical” editions that are just digital games in fancy boxes, and the players are getting more and more irritated with that. The comments section is full of people saying they will not buy this game simply because it is not a true physical release.
So the question now is, what will be the fate of Oblivion Remastered? It is safe to say that the game itself is in a good place – it is still the classic RPG we all love, only now with shiny new graphics. On the other hand, the controversy surrounding the physical edition has certainly overshadowed the celebration of one of the most beloved titles in the gaming industry.
It would be fantastic if Bethesda, after hearing the feedback, decided to go for a proper multi-disc version release. @RainResignation even mentioned they would be willing to pay more for a complete-on-disc version. However, for now, those players after the genuine physical experience are out of luck, and they are not at all shy about voicing their discontent through the community.
Ultimately, this whole saga is a reminder that there are still physical media purists who will not give up without a fight. They insist on receiving what they pay for – i.e. real games on real discs – and companies that ignore that are going to keep facing this type of backlash.
Anyway, that’s the story on the mess regarding the physical edition of Oblivion Remastered. It is a real tangle of arguments, and it is yet another installment in the never-ending battle between physical and digital gaming. At least, we have the memes that bring some humor?
