Oblivion Remastered Hype Proves Why an Elder Scrolls TV Series Must Happen

We have come a long way from the days when video game adaptations were considered failures that passed us by. HBO’s The Last of Us season 2 is currently dominating the TV landscape, and Minecraft, whether you love it or hate it, has been a huge family hit at the box office.

Another successful TV series in recent years was Fallout from Amazon’s Prime Video studios in collaboration with Bethesda. This sci-fi show, as funny as it was bloody and brutal, struck the perfect balance of references for fans of the post-apocalyptic games while also creating a fresh story that attracted new audiences.

The success of Fallout gives hope that Bethesda now has the expertise to tackle another popular franchise currently in the zeitgeist – The Elder Scrolls fantasy game series.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered was recently announced and released. In the first four days, it amassed an impressive four million downloads and counting, showcasing the dedicated fanbase of this universe.

I was one of the players who tuned into the stream, marveling at the visuals of the Imperial City and Emperor Uriel Septim VII, updated for 2025. I bought the title the same day, although I couldn’t play it immediately as my Xbox Series S took the whole evening to download the 120GB game.

After spending several hours in Oblivion, I believe that its intricate storylines deserve to be enjoyed by non-gamers on the small screen. The next game in the series, Skyrim, could also be a strong contender for a TV adaptation given its popularity.

An Elder Scrolls television series makes perfect sense, and here are three reasons why.

The vast world of Tamriel

While Prime Video’s Fallout focuses on steampunk towns in a desolate California landscape, an Elder Scrolls TV series offers a more fantastical setting that will appeal to fans of franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. With diverse landscapes, multiple races, and rich lore, Tamriel provides ample material for exploration.

Oblivion’s province of Cyrodiil, home to the Imperials, is lush and diverse, with unique cities like Chorrol and Bravil. Skyrim, inhabited by the Nords, offers a harsh yet stunning landscape with rugged mountains, snowy outposts, and the mesmerizing Northern Lights.

Even if a potential TV series isn’t a direct adaptation of Oblivion or Skyrim, there are plenty of other lands in Tamriel to explore, such as the jungles of Elsweyr or the dunes of Hammerfell, offering endless possibilities for storytelling.

Bethesda

The gripping guilds

Some of the best stories in Elder Scrolls games come from side quests and guild storylines. The Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion is a standout guild that offers intriguing missions and characters. Each game in the series features compelling guild storylines that could translate well to a TV adaptation.

The Brotherhood’s missions involve staging accidents like dropping a minotaur head on a character and a whodunnit scenario where you must eliminate dinner guests secretly.

In Skyrim, the Thieves Guild is prominent, with the Dragonborn recruited for a robbery in broad daylight. However, there’s a traitor within the guild that needs to be uncovered.

Both guilds have compelling plots and characters that could be adapted into a TV show. The Elder Scrolls series offers a variety of guilds and storylines to explore.

The humor in Fallout could be translated into the Elder Scrolls series, creating viral moments that attract new audiences. Oblivion: Remastered has many memorable moments circulating, like the Adoring Fan and the Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath.

The show could also include throwaway one-liners like the famous Skyrim guard’s line: “I used to be an adventurer like you… then I took an arrow to the knee.”

The potential for an Elder Scrolls TV series is vast, with strong source material from Oblivion, Skyrim, and other titles. While there are currently no plans for a show or film, fans are hopeful that the right idea or script will come along to create an iconic show. Todd Howard from Bethesda has mentioned that they are waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring the Elder Scrolls to the screen.