NPCs in the Rumored Oblivion Remake Would Have One Big Hurdle to Clear

NPCs in the Rumored Oblivion Remake Would Have One Big Hurdle to Clear
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The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion‘s NPCs are notorious for their awkward AI and stilted ambient dialogue. The clumsy demeanor of many of Oblivion‘s NPCs is exacerbated by the limited number of voice actors that Oblivion had, given the development limitations of the time, with just one voice actor per race.

With fully-voiced games being a fairly recent development in video gaming, the scope of Oblivion and the number of lines it had, mistakes also crept through in the delivery of the dialogue. These mistakes made it into the game, which contributed to the overall clumsy feel of the NPCs years later as voice acting in video games was refined. While Oblivion‘s awkward voice acting has, by and large, made it more endearing to its fans than repellent, it also means that its two best voice actors stand out all the more, and losing them in the Oblivion remake could be a massive loss.

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The Biggest Names in Oblivion’s Cast

The two biggest exceptions to Oblivion‘s odd voice acting rule were Patrick Stewart as Emperor Uriel Septim VII and Sean Bean as Martin Septim. Although Patrick Stewart’s role was small in the grand scheme of Oblivion, the Emperor’s role was vital; he voiced the narration for Oblivion‘s intro and was responsible for much of the setup of Oblivion‘s main story. Patrick Stewart executed this role with an incredible amount of skill and his acting left an impact on many players.

Sean Bean’s role endured far longer than Patrick Stewart’s, as Martin Septim was a prominent character throughout Oblivion‘s storyline. Sean Bean’s acting made Martin stand out from every other Imperial in Oblivion that had Wes Johnson’s voice, and gave Martin the gravitas and humility that embodied the character, without stripping him of emotion that could prevent players from connecting to Martin as a character.

How the Septims Could Be Addressed in Oblivion’s Remake

If a remake for Oblivion does happen, the subject of Oblivion‘s NPC dialogue will need to be addressed. While the situation of one voice actor per race would likely be changed, lacking Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean in their roles would be a massive loss for Oblivion. There are a number of ways this may be addressed, which largely depend on how the voice acting in Oblivion is approached in the remake, alongside the other details. If cutscenes are kept the same, with the only visuals receiving an update being the graphics, there may not be any need to replace their performances at all.

This approach is unlikely, though, with a supporting studio like Virtuos possibly rerecording all dialogue, especially for characters as important as the Emperor and Martin. Sound files can sound bad after twenty years, the source files could have degraded or have been lost, or new dialogue could need to be recorded and getting high profile actors like Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean back to reprise their roles could be a difficult task. While a remaster would have a higher chance of still featuring their original dialogue, a remaster has a lower chance.

There are many incredibly talented actors who could take on their roles for the Oblivion remake. In the modern era of gaming, it’s more common to cast high-profile actors in video games, especially in franchises as prolific as The Elder Scrolls. However, rather than focusing on star-power to draw in new players, the developer needs to approach it as Bethesda did originally, with actors who were not only famous but also talented and could pull off their roles.

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