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The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has finally arrived following months of leaks and release date rumors, and players have been hard at work recreating their ugliest characters from the original RPG – some so ugly, in fact, they've caught the eye of one former Bethesda Game Studios lead.
Jeffery "Jeff" Gardiner, an ex-Bethesda developer who worked as a producer on the beloved 2006 Oblivion and Skyrim, reveals in an online post that fans aren't the only ones who enjoy conjuring up ungodly faces in the RPG – devs do (and did so quite a bit, apparently), too. "Towards the end of development," he writes, "when we were all playtesting Oblivion, we used to all compete to see who could make the most absurd face."
Towards the end of development when we were all playtesting Oblivion, we used to all compete to see who could make the most absurd face. Have to say, I think this would have won. https://t.co/12Xd5VBBoZApril 24, 2025
Gardiner then praises a newly viral screenshot of a player's so-called "Sir Vancealot" (yes, a horrifying in-game recreation of United States vice president JD Vance) taken in Oblivion Remastered, admitting that it's just wacky enough to have likely won Bethesda's internal competition: "Have to say, I think this would have won." Looking at the screencap myself, I'd wager the fan's nightmare-fueling Sir Vancealot definitely could've.
This is my magnum opus in Oblivion Remaster. Sir Vancealot pic.twitter.com/q3hsDd3UysApril 22, 2025
The comments see other players nominating their own ridiculous character creations, ranging from Skooma-high Khajiit to neon purple… somethings. Halloween has certainly come early this year, thanks to Oblivion Remastered's true-to-the-original character creator, it seems, and I'm sure it's only going to evolve from here as the new game's already thriving mod scene continues to expand – and I, for one, am totally here for it.
Here's everything you need to know about The Elder Scrolls 6 after replaying Oblivion.
