It’s the driving power behind a lot of your favourite video video games launched in the previous few years, but it surely largely flies beneath the radar. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077, and Metallic Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater are only a few of the numerous video games that have been and proceed to be supported by Virtuos, one of many largest impartial online game corporations on the planet with over 20 studios globally using about 4,000 employees. Nonetheless, the common gamer most likely doesn’t know Virtuos exists.
That’s beginning to change although, with Virtuos’ profile rising with every new launch. Oblivion Remastered is maybe Virtuos’ greatest venture but, and its heavy involvement with its growth was made a key a part of the sport’s announcement by Bethesda. In the meantime, CD Projekt livestreams function members of the Virtuos growth workforce. Wanting forward, Ken Levine’s BioShock follow-up, Judas, and Riot’s League of Legends combating recreation 2XKO, will each come out with Virtuos’ assist.
But it surely has not all been plain crusing. Final month, Virtuos laid off roughly 7% of its international workforce, or round 270 employees. In an announcement, Virtuos mentioned it was “evolving to satisfy the altering wants” of its companions and the broader video video games trade. Many of the layoffs affected Virtuos’ Asian workforce.
In a wide-ranging interview with IGN at gamescom 2025, Virtuos CEO Gilles Langourieux mentioned the corporate’s historical past, its current initiatives, and what it’s hoping to attain sooner or later. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which has gone a protracted method to placing Virtuos on the map this yr, was a giant a part of our chat.
Langourieux mentioned Virtuos’ experience when it got here to remasters (Batman, Remaining Fantasy, Darkish Souls Remastered) meant it was a pure a part of the dialog round Oblivion’s return.
“We managed to persuade Todd Howard and his workforce that we might do it,” Langourieux started. “He had identified us for some time. After which how does it work? You show what you are able to throughout a pilot section. You ship a convincing vertical slice or pilot. You align with the workforce at Bethesda on what they imagine is the extent of high quality or element required to satisfy their viewers aim, and also you proceed all the way in which to remaining ship.”
Virtuos developed Oblivion Remastered utilizing Unreal Engine 5. It runs at 4K decision and 60 frames per second, as you’d anticipate, however different adjustments are extra significant. Every thing from the leveling methods to character creation, and fight animations to in-game menus have been improved. In the meantime, there’s a number of new dialogue, a correct third-person view, and new lip sync know-how. The adjustments went down properly with followers, a few of whom imagine Oblivion Remastered can be extra precisely described as a remake. Bethesda, nonetheless, has defined why it went down the remaster route.
Langourieux mentioned Virtuos knew it had to make use of a brand new engine for Oblivion Remastered to convey the basic RPG updated by way of graphics and efficiency, but in addition retain the unique engine so veteran followers would acknowledge Oblivion’s gameplay. As Todd Howard himself described it, Bethesda was eager for the Oblivion remaster to have a few of that “previous appeal.”
“We realized that one of many options must be to mix the unique engine with a brand new engine. Virtuos occurs to have a protracted expertise working with Unreal,” Langourieux mentioned. “We have performed a variety of initiatives like this the place we mix — it is known as engine pairing — we pair two engines to work collectively in order that the gameplay comes from the unique engine, however the rendering and the brand new fashionable bells and whistles come from the brand new engine. And our expertise doing that, our expertise with Unreal, was one of many issues we needed to convey to the desk.”
In the meantime, a whole bunch of artists have been mobilized to work on Oblivion Remastered to “nail” the Oblivion artwork fashion whereas additionally modernizing it. Virtuos had its studio in Paris lead the venture, making technical, design, and inventive decisions concerning the recreation, with the assistance of different Virtuos studios. At Bethesda, a small workforce beneath the direct supervision of Todd Howard monitored Virtuos’ work.
At peak, round 400 individuals at Virtuos labored on Oblivion Remastered. This was a real AAA growth effort unfold out throughout a variety of years. The top outcome was a profitable launch, a online game performed by over 9 million individuals at this level, and a (largely) impressed fanbase. Virtuos itself was made part of Bethesda’s official Oblivion Remastered announcement video, which Langourieux appreciated.
“Typically if you deal with these sorts of initiatives, you are concerned about speaking a few new developer since you’re apprehensive that new developer title won’t resonate so properly with the viewers,” he mentioned.
“They put their cash the place their mouth is by supporting us very transparently and overtly, and that has given us extra visibility than different initiatives have. So credit score to them for that.”
Cyberpunk 2077, Oblivion Remastered, Metallic Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater… what’s subsequent? With all kinds of rumors swirling round about extra Bethesda remasters, might Virtuos be serving to out with, say, a Fallout remaster of some description? In fact, Langourieux gained’t title names, however did speak typically about what Virtuos has up its sleeve, and teased “comparable” titles to Oblivion Remastered coming from the corporate within the years forward.
“I will not be capable to share specifics,” he started, “however what I can say is that you’ve got seen what we’re able to for a giant, impactful remaster like Oblivion. You possibly can anticipate extra comparable titles to return out of Virtuos within the coming years. And you may as well anticipate to see us concerned in increasing the lifetime of large-life titles. These can be two instructions that I am tremendous enthusiastic about.”
However will Virtuos get away of its assist act standing and make an authentic IP of its personal? Langourieux appears pleased with the place his firm is at proper now, insisting “not everybody aspires to be the rockstar.”
“We’ve a whole lot of ambition,” Langourieux mentioned. “We have constructed one of many largest, most steady recreation builders within the enterprise, and we intend to proceed doing that. We have performed it by being very clear about what we’re good at and the way we are able to serve our shoppers within the trade. And there is a whole lot of ambition with that. Not the whole lot is about being the rockstar. Not everybody aspires to be the rockstar. We’re enjoying a distinct function.”
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
