When Bethesda shadow-dropped The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered amid the launch of fellow role-playing sport Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, most thought there could possibly be just one winner. But, in response to the writer of Clair Obscur, not solely did Oblivion not hurt Clair Obscur, Clair Obscur truly benefitted from Oblivion’s launch as a result of it boosted pleasure for the RPG style.
So says Kepler Interactive’s senior portfolio supervisor Matt Handrahan, who instructed The Game Business all about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s launch success towards the percentages.
First, some background. RPG followers have been confronted with the troublesome alternative between spending a whole lot of hours in Oblivion’s Cyrodiil, or embarking on an expedition to take down the Paintress in Clair Obscur. The launch of the 2 video games in the identical week provoked each joyful and pissed off reactions from RPG followers, in addition to a cheeky remark from Kepler Interactive itself.
In an X/Twitter submit, Kepler shared an edited picture of the characters from Clair Obscur strolling into an Oblivion Gate, with the textual content “omg its like barbenheimer” in a humorous nod to the simultaneous launch of the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer in theatres on the identical day in 2023.
omg its like barbenheimer pic.twitter.com/TN1AFzdggc
— Kepler Interactive (@Kepler_Interact) April 22, 2025
Microsoft, which owns Oblivion developer Bethesda and which had closely backed Clair Obscur since its reveal at an Xbox Showcase final yr, additionally got here beneath hearth for shadow-dropping Oblivion on high of Clair Obscur, with each video games being Game Pass day-one titles.
But, in response to Handrahan, there was nothing to fret about. “We at all times knew that Expedition 33 had a really particular id,” Handrahan stated. “When I used to be within the press, I noticed the Western-style RPG and the Japanese-style RPG as having fairly totally different appeals and audiences. I knew loads of folks that will play an Elder Scrolls sport that would not essentially play Final Fantasy and vice versa.
“Also, by the point that we rolled round, we had momentum of our personal and we felt fairly assured that we might stand beside it. I feel there have been different points, like the worth level we have been at and the inclusion in Game Pass… so we knew we might have loads of curiosity across the sport. We have been assured in that. And it went in addition to it probably might have finished in our eyes. And, truly, proximity to Oblivion did not appear to hurt us in any respect. In some ways, I feel it simply drew consideration to high quality RPGs that week and all people was pondering and speaking concerning the style.”
Clair Obscur has change into an enormous hit for Keplar and its French developer, Sandfall Interactive, promoting over 1 million copies in simply three days and posting spectacular concurrent participant numbers on Steam. It’s finished so properly that French President Macron has praised the event staff.
Bethesda has introduced Oblivion Remastered has seen over 4 million gamers since launch, however hasn’t introduced a gross sales determine. It too has seen large Steam concurrent participant numbers.
The Game Business quoted information from Ampere that exhibits 35% of Clair Obscur gamers additionally performed Oblivion remastered, which suggests there was important overlap. A variety of that has to do with each video games launching in Game Pass, with the overlap proportion dropping for Steam and PlayStation 5 gamers.
We’ve acquired lots extra on Oblivion Remastered, together with a report on a participant who managed to flee the confines of Cyrodiil to discover Valenwood, Skyrim, and even Hammerfell, the rumored setting of The Elder Scrolls VI.
We’ve additionally acquired a complete information to the whole lot you will discover in Oblivion Remastered, together with an expansive Interactive Map, full Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and each Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, each PC Cheat Code, and far more.
As for Clair Obscur, make sure to try our suggestions for the necessary issues to know earlier than heading into the sport.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
