Oblivion Remastered is Following in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black's…

After weeks upon weeks of rumors, the worst-kept secret in gaming, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, was finally revealed by Bethesda this week, and what's more, it was shadow-dropped, too. The entire incident started on April 21, when Bethesda posted an ominous image on its social media channels and told fans to tune in the following day for a special livestream. To no one's surprise, it turned out that this livestream was an Oblivion Remastered announcement event. Bethesda provided a 20-minute overview of the newly-unveiled game and confirmed that it would be released on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation 5, and PC later that day.

The fact that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered exists and is actually playable right now is, without a doubt, a very big deal. For years, fans have been asking Bethesda to re-release its seminal 2006 RPG, TES 4: Oblivion, for modern platforms in some shape or form. While the game was already playable on PCs and Xbox consoles via backwards compatibility, it wasn't available natively on current-gen PlayStation systems, and its gameplay and graphics hadn't aged that well. Taking that into account, Bethesda's decision to not only announce, but also simultaneously release a remaster as highly-requested as this was an incredibly bold move. That said, this isn't the first time something like this has happened this year, as Ninja Gaiden fans will undoubtedly remember.

Oblivion Remastered Gained a Higher Age Rating Than the Original

Curiously, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered boasts a higher age rating than the original open-world game from back in 2006.

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By Gabriel Machado Pureza

Oblivion Remastered and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Have Launched Under Very Similar Circumstances

Back in January, Koei Tecmo Games and Team Ninja released Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an enhanced re-release of a hard-as-nails 2008 action game from the Xbox 360 generation. On the surface, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered don't have a lot in common with each other, aside from being launched in the same year. However, there are actually more similarities between the two than one might think, at least with regard to their release strategies.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Was Shadow-Dropped During the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was not a game that Koei Tecmo gave an extensive marketing budget to. Instead, it was shadow-dropped during a presentation, much like Oblivion Remastered. On January 23, Microsoft hosted its third annual Xbox Developer Direct, where it provided players with an in-depth look at four upcoming games that were landing on Xbox and Game Pass. Prior to the showcase's air date, Microsoft kept the identity of one of these four games under wraps. This mystery title, it turned out, was Ninja Gaiden 4 and, alongside its announcement, Microsoft surprisingly revealed an all-new fifth game, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.

After the Xbox Developer Direct ended, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC on the same day. The game, players soon discovered, was an upgraded Unreal Engine 5 version of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (the PS3 port, not the original Xbox 360 edition of Ninja Gaiden 2) with additional gameplay adjustments and improved visuals. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was labeled by Koei Tecmo as a remaster in its marketing materials, but many considered it to be more of a remake. The game's graphics were not only overhauled compared to its predecessor, but the entire title was rebuilt on a new engine.

Oblivion Remastered and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Have a Few Things in Common

Coincidentally, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has been dubbed a remake by some gamers, despite having the word 'remaster' in its name. The visual fidelity of the game has been greatly improved compared to the 2006 original, and its gameplay systems have been tweaked, as well. The similarities between Oblivion Remastered and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black don't end there, though. Like the Team Ninja-developed action game, Bethesda's recently-released remaster was created in Unreal Engine 5 and, as previously mentioned, it was launched onto Xbox Game Pass. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and Oblivion Remastered may appeal to different audiences, but the fact that they were shadow-dropped onto Microsoft's subscription service reinforces the idea that more Game Pass games may adopt this release strategy in the future.

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