Devs behind 24-year-old Morrowind mod rebuilding Tamriel expect it to outlast The Elder Scrolls 6: “They worried that Skyrim would kill the mod. They saw it not do that”

by

Over the past two and a half decades, an ever-changing team of modifiers have dedicated themselves to expanding the map of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind to encompass the entire continent of Morrowind. Despite facing the releases of Oblivion, Skyrim, and now Oblivion Remastered, these developers express a strong conviction that their mod will continue to thrive even beyond the arrival of The Elder Scrolls 6.

For over 24 years, different people have been adding more to Morrowind’s map in The Elder Scrolls 3 game. They kept working despite new games like Oblivion, Skyrim, and Oblivion Remastered coming out. Now, they think their work will last longer than the next Elder Scrolls game, The Elder Scrolls 6.

As a gamer, I recently had a chat with one of the senior developers from Tamriel Rebuilt, Jackimoff Wackimoff (or simply Jack). During our conversation, he shared an interesting piece of information – the vast majority of the original team that initiated Tamriel Rebuilt back in 2001 no longer contribute to the mod. Jack himself joined the team only recently, in 2021, and among the current developers, he is one of the most experienced individuals on the TamrielRebuiltTeam.

Jack explained that since the initial concept, the scale and aspirations of the project have significantly broadened over the decades. Now, it includes not only Project Tamriel but also Project Cyrodiil – two separate mods that are compatible with each other. The former expands Morrowind to incorporate multiple provinces within Tamriel, while the latter focuses on bringing the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil into Morrowind.

Following the release of Oblivion: Remastered, the TamrielRebuiltTeam seized an opportune moment by leveraging the renewed enthusiasm for the Elder Scrolls universe. They unveiled their largest update to date, titled Grasping Fortune, which enriched the world with the Hlaalu capital of Narsis and over 140 new dungeons, along with more than 270 fresh quests.

Since the Tamriel Rebuilt mod for Oblivion includes a vast, playable area encompassing places like Old Ebonheart, Port Telvannis, Firewatch, and Necrom, it’s only normal to ask when the creators might finish this project and move on to new endeavors. Realizing that they and I may not be around when this is completed, has given Jack an existential crisis.

“The joke amongst the devs is that it will definitely be done by 2090,” they tell me.

If it’s assumed that The Elder Scrolls 6 has been released by then, I wonder if there are any concerns within Bethesda about their next RPG potentially overshadowing Tamriel Rebuilt. However, the experienced team behind Tamriel Rebuilt expresses no worry at all.

Jack stated, “It endured one of, if not the most renowned games ever created – Skyrim. If you can withstand such an impact, then our developers are still here who were active even before the release of Oblivion. They witnessed concerns that Oblivion would extinguish the mod. Yet it didn’t. Similarly, they saw worries that Skyrim would put an end to the mod. Again, it proved otherwise. Even with the arrival of Oblivion Remastered.

After each new release, it appears that many individuals have been further encouraged. However, there is a specific group who play the latest version and express, “This isn’t the Role-Playing Game (RPG) experience I was seeking. Can anyone recommend where I might find that?

Despite Jack seeming overly confident about Tamriel Rebuilt, there’s merit in his argument. After all, those playing a modified version of a 23-year-old game aren’t primarily the intended audience for The Elder Scrolls 6. While it’s true that some players might overlap, it’s clear that the Tamriel Rebuilt community stands apart from the larger Elder Scrolls community. Therefore, the mod’s ability to endure new entries can be seen as a testament to its lasting appeal.

However, Jack isn’t merely expressing an opinion. They’re also foreseeing a scenario where some players might opt for The Elder Scrolls 6 initially but eventually switch to Tamriel Rebuilt instead.

As a dedicated gamer, I acknowledge that Bethesda has evolved over the years, bearing some differences from its past self. Whether these changes are for the better or the worse, it’s all part of their journey. What we strive to achieve is to encapsulate the essence of what Bethesda aimed to create with Morrowind back then.

The TamrielRebuiltTeam, made up of lore experts, have been utilizing publicly accessible books to enrich the gaps in the Morrowind world under the guidance of their resident historian, Sultan of Rum. This process has been meticulously documented within a 120-page online history book they’ve created for the project.

It can be confidently stated by them that a Morrowind mod may persist even after The Elder Scrolls 6, given their dedication and expertise.

Read More

2025-05-22 16:12