Todd Howard has been waiting since Fallout 4 to do a surprise launch

Recent speculation suggests that The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Remake is coming - and fast. Rumors point to a possible April announcement and launch - an almost unheard of move in the games industry. While leaks hint at its legitimacy, there's another compelling reason to believe in a surprise launch: Todd Howard has wanted to do this for years.

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At E3 2015, Howard took the stage to reveal Fallout 4. Not only did Bethesda showcase over 30 minutes of gameplay footage (a rarity for a launch announcement), but the real shocker was the release window - with the game being made available just four months later. This strategy went against the industry norm, where big-budget titles typically endure drawn-out marketing cycles spanning years.

As fans of Grand Theft Auto and The Elder Scrolls would know, the wait for new entries is often agonizing. Worse, when games finally do launch, they can be riddled with bugs, optimization issues, and cut content. But Fallout 4 proved that a shorter marketing cycle could work - and Howard has taken note.

When Howard spoke with IGN the following year, he explicitly stated his preference for tighter game announcements.

"I would like that to become the norm," Howard told IGN at DICE in Las Vegas. "I hope that the way we did it with Fallout changes how a lot of people do it. That's my hope."

But he didn't stop there - Howard made it clear that, given the chance, he'd take things even further.

"The way it went, I would make it even shorter if I could get away with it," he said. "It would be, 'this is out right now.'"

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Credit: Getty Images

That philosophy became evident with Fallout Shelter, which was revealed and immediately released during the Fallout 4 showcase. Howard later explained that this approach allowed Bethesda to "experience both worlds" - essentially testing an unproven, unconventional strategy on a lower-stakes title. While a full shadow drop may not work for every major release, Bethesda has continued to experiment with different strategies, trying to find "the right window" for each game.

Since then, Bethesda has used a mix of approaches: a long campaign for Starfield, a short five-month release window for Fallout 76, and complete radio silence for The Elder Scrolls VI.

Now, with the rumored Oblivion Remake, it looks like Howard may finally get his wish. Reports suggest an April reveal and near immediate launch - perhaps even on the same day. Whether it lands as a full shadow drop or a quick turnaround release remains to be seen, but one thing is certain - Bethesda likely has some surprises in store for us soon.

Edit (16/03/25): Updated for clarity and flow, with added context on Bethesda's announcement strategy with Fallout Shelter.

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