The ongoing trial between Microsoft and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in the United States over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard has, for the most part, been a dry and boring affair that has seen Redmond insist it won't make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox, and the FTC refuse to believe them, instead inexplicably arguing that Microsoft holds a monopoly over cloud gaming, for all three people who play their video games that way (The Hean, I'm looking at you.)

We finally have some excitement, however, as according to a report by The Verge, a presentation was accidentally shared during the hearings that leaked a list of upcoming ZeniMax / Bethesda titles, including remasters for Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, along with new games including Dishonoured 3, an untitled Indiana Jones title, and something named Project Kestrel.

The slide actually dates back to 2020, and forecasts a four-year schedule up to the 2024 fiscal year end. The accuracy of the forecast is therefore in question, as plans have undoubtedly changed in the last 3+ years, and some of these titles may be delayed or even cancelled. Even so, some pretty huge reveals are on the list, including a sequel to Ghostwire: Tokyo.

The Elder Scrolls VI is listed as releasing in Fiscal Year 2024, however, given comments made recently by Todd Howard, it seems incredibly unlikely at this point. It's also fair to say that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hadn't hit home at the point this presentation was created, and no doubt plans have slipped since then. To give that some context, Hi-Fi Rush is listed on the document as Project Hibiki, and was due to release in FY2021, when in reality, it was only released this year.

It makes sense to me that Bethesda would want to publish remasters of Fallout 3 and Oblivion in the interim between Starfield and the next Elder Scrolls or Fallout game, and it's a tactic we've seen used by other studios, including Rockstar with the Grand Theft Auto definitive edition remasters. Fallout 3 remains my favourite in the series so far, and I'd love to see it get the 4K treatment with remixed graphics (perhaps things could be a little less... green).

I'll fess up to never playing Oblivion much, at least not beyond the Patrick Stewart tutorial at the start, but I'd be more than interested in giving it a shot with a graphical upgrade, especially if it comes to consoles.