The team behind Skyblivion has released an update detailing the progress thus far and the road ahead that will give players a better idea of when to expect the monolithic fan project. The project started in 2012, more or less a year after Skyrim launched, and the team behind it has periodically released information about the gargantuan Skyrim mod including some gameplay footage. While the release of Skyblivion isn't exactly imminent, it is likely that it will release before The Elder Scrolls 6 and serve as a stopgap of sorts in the long wait for the next official entry into Bethesda's fan-favorite franchise.
The Elder Scrolls Renewal is a volunteer project that is credited with recreating Morrowind in the Oblivion engine and is now forging ahead with the monolithic task of recreating both games in the more modern Skyrim engine. The mods are known as Skywind and Skyblivion, respectively. While the team has played its cards close to its chest with regard to the Skywind project thus far, a recent video uploaded to its YouTube channel will give fans a clear picture of how the development is progressing with Skyblivion.
TES Renewal has released a video detailing what needs to be done to achieve the Skyblivion release goal of 2025. Several portions of the world map have been completed. Two of the remaining world spaces, Nibenay Valley and Nibenay Basin, are around the halfway mark, while the West Weald is at 15% completion. Of the world spaces outside of Oblivion, the alternate realities and Oblivion Realms, 29 remain. The team plans to save these for last.
The team has also completed nearly half of the 600 interior spaces: caves, ruins, forts, castles, and other buildings. There is also still a fairly large chunk of work left with the 3D models; everything from clothing to animals, buildings, and trees has to be remade from the ground up. Skyblivion is playable to a degree since the team has focused on tackling the more complex areas first. The video breaks down exactly what still needs to be done in each aspect of the game by the numbers.
The video also clarifies that the team will only tackle the DLC areas once Skyblivion is complete. The Skyblivion project has come a long way and is progressing at a decent clip, but the narrator of the video mentioned at least a few times that the team could use some volunteers to help realize the 2025 release date.
Skyblivion is currently in development and expected to launch in 2025.