Bethesda has released a small teaser for its physical release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, and it just might take a swipe at recent decisions happening at PlayStation. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was released in 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The new version of the game offered several improvements over the version released in 2006, including improved visuals and some updates to the overall gameplay.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was announced for Nintendo Switch 2, and the game will be getting a true physical release on the platform. While many third-party developers have opted to use Game-Key Cards, Oblivion Remastered is coming with the base game on the cartridge alongside its two story expansions. That should be a big deal for a lot of collectors that prefer physical releases, and those who want to save precious space on the system.
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Bethesda Weighs in on Physical Games
Starting in 2028, PlayStation will no longer offer physical discs as an option. The news has been a huge shock to the video game industry, and a lot of fans and developers are unhappy about the implications this could have for the continued existence of physical media. Shortly after the news broke, Bethesda released a short video on Twitter for the Switch 2 release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered. The post promotes it as a “physical treasure,” and the red Switch 2 cartridge is prominently displayed.
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The timing of the post could be entirely coincidental, but many Twitter users drew a direct line between the post and PlayStation’s announcement. The true physical release is a selling point for a lot of Switch 2 owners, and it seems Bethesda is well aware of that fact. It should be noted that Switch 2’s Game-Key Cards are very controversial, since they don’t actually contain the game’s data and instead prompt a download from the eShop. It’s possible the video was actually meant as a dig at developers and publishers that use Game-Key Cards, but there’s no way of knowing for certain.
The fate of physical media has been a hot topic among gamers for several years. Many have seen an all-digital future as an inevitability, while others hope there’s a way that physical options can continue to be offered. Project Helix seems like it won’t have a disc drive, but Xbox is looking into a way for users to digitize physical games. It’s not the same as offering physical media, but it could at least give users a way to keep playing the games they’ve purchased over the years.
While Xbox and PlayStation are moving away from physical media, Nintendo hasn’t shown any signs of doing the same just yet. Game-Key Cards do exist as an option for publishers, but Nintendo’s own first-party games have mostly avoided them. Capcom and Square Enix have gone all-in on Game-Key Cards, but companies like Bethesda and CD Projekt Red clearly see that there’s still some value in offering true physical versions of their games when possible.
- Released
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April 22, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence