The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has become something of a lightning rod for the ongoing debate around Nintendo’s pricing for the Switch 2 and its games, with some fans saying the company behind Mario could learn a thing or two about video game pricing from Bethesda.
Oblivion Remastered, developed by remake specialist Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5, has a long list of visual and feature improvements. It runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, as you’d expect, but other changes are more meaningful. Everything from the leveling systems to character creation and combat animations to in-game menus have been improved. Meanwhile, there’s lots of new dialogue, a proper third-person view, and new lip sync technology. The changes are going down well with fans, some of whom believe Oblivion Remastered would be more accurately described as a remake. Bethesda, however, has explained why it went down the remaster route.
The base Oblivion game costs $50 and includes all the DLC originally released. It’s an impressive, high value package, and for many it makes Nintendo’s Switch 2 game pricing look even worse.
Compare and contrast, as many are doing, Oblivion Remastered to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which costs $70, or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2, which costs an eye-watering $80. There’s a $10 upgrade path for existing owners of the OG Switch versions, and Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can upgrade for free. But Nintendo’s standalone pricing here has sparked a backlash online, especially when you consider the jump to $80 not only for Tears of the Kingdom, but for a number of other Switch 2 games.
But it gets worse for Zelda. IGN has confirmed that Breath of the Wild’s Nintendo Switch 2 Edition does not come with the Expansion Pass, which means you have to pay an additional $20 to play the DLC on the Switch 2 if you don’t already own it.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Breath of the Wild comes with improved visuals and performance, achievements, as well as support for the new “Zelda Notes” service in the Nintendo Switch Online app. If you already own Breath of the Wild on the Switch, you won’t get those features automatically; you need to upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition to gain access.
If you don’t own the game, you can buy the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Breath of the Wild for $70, $10 more than the game initially retailed at (so basically the price of the original game and the pack). But it won’t include the DLC Expansion Pack, so if you want access to that, it’s another $20 on top of that. That makes $90 total for the full Breath of the Wild Nintendo Switch 2 experience.
A whopping $90 for the most current version of a game that came out in 2017 on the Wii U feels painful, especially in light of Mario Kart World retailing at an unheard-of $80, and the Nintendo Switch 2 itself costing $450.
And here we have Oblivion Remastered, which some are saying is good enough to be called a remake, with all the DLC thrown in for $50. You can see why Nintendo is coming out poorly in the wake of comparisons.
“Nintendo will look at them and say ‘those guys could have made $30 extra,’ ” joked redditor Cultural_Writing2999. “It’s hard for them to learn much of anything over the sound of all that money being printed,” geldonyetich added.
This response taps into the idea that Nintendo is charging what it’s charging for Switch 2 because it knows people will pay for it. As Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, told IGN: “Nintendo is charging this price because they feel they can and that people will pay.”
We’ve got a comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and much more.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
