"Oblivion Remastered: Original Dev Admits World-Scale Leveling Mistake"

The original developer of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has admitted that the inclusion of world-scale leveling was a misstep. Read on for insights into his perspective on the game’s design and its long-term success since release.

Oblivion Remastered's Design Changes Praised by Former Developer

World-Scale Leveling Stays in Oblivion Remastered

Bruce Nesmith, former designer on Oblivion, recently shared his thoughts on the remaster’s updated systems—including his candid admission that the world-scale leveling feature was a mistake. Despite this mechanic returning in Oblivion Remastered, Nesmith expressed appreciation for other changes made to modernize the experience.

In an interview with VideoGamer, Nesmith—who also worked on titles like Fallout 3, Skyrim, and Starfield—commented on how Bethesda refined the leveling system. Originally, players had to level up major skills multiple times, rest to finalize progression, and then increase attributes—a process he said felt cumbersome over time.

This has now been reworked to resemble Skyrim's XP-based model, where players gain experience across all skill lines. Nesmith praised the change as a "brave" decision that improves accessibility for today’s audience.

However, when it came to the world-scale leveling system—where enemies scale in difficulty alongside the player—his opinion shifted. Nesmith noted that the system gave players the feeling that "oh, it doesn’t matter that I went up in levels, the dungeon went up in levels with me."

He elaborated, “I think the world leveling with you was a mistake, and that’s proven out by the fact it did not happen the same way in Skyrim.” This concern was raised by fans since the game’s 2006 launch, prompting many to create mods to disable or adjust the system. With Oblivion Remastered retaining the feature, modders have once again stepped in to offer fixes.

Beyond a Standard Remaster: A Deep Reimagining of Tamriel

While many expected Oblivion Remastered to be a straightforward graphical update, the depth of the overhaul surprised even Nesmith. Initially assuming it would be similar to Skyrim: Special Edition, he later praised the development team for going far beyond surface-level improvements.

In another interview with VideoGamer, he remarked, “It’s a staggering amount of remastering. It almost needs its own word, quite frankly. I’m not sure ‘remaster’ actually does it justice.”

Bethesda rebuilt the entire world of Cyrodiil using Unreal Engine 5, allowing them to break free from the limitations of the original engine. The result is a visually stunning and technically robust version of the classic RPG that has received widespread acclaim from both critics and fans alike.

At Game8, we awarded Oblivion Remastered a score of 90 out of 100, praising it as a heartfelt homage to the original land of Tamriel, reborn through modern technology. For a deeper dive into our impressions, check out our full review [here].