'Oblivion Remaster' Released at Midnight on the 23rd
190,000 Users Flocked to PC Steam Version Right After Launch
Korean Players Blocked by 'Regional Lock' and Unable to Access
On April 23, Microsoft (MS) issued an official statement three days after its game publisher launched "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster" in the global gaming market, addressing the fact that the game was not released in Korea. On April 25, Xbox Korea posted on its social media, "We sincerely apologize for the delayed release of Oblivion Remaster in Korea and for the insufficient localization." "Oblivion Remaster," released at midnight on April 23 by Bethesda, a game publisher under MS, saw immediate success with 190,000 concurrent users on the PC Steam version right after launch.
However, in Korea, a "regional lock" was applied, making it impossible to purchase or register the game on any platform, including the PC game platform Steam. This led to a strong backlash from Korean fans. Among the 41 countries where Steam supports payments in local currency, only Korea and Russia were subject to this measure. As of the third day after release, the issue of the delayed launch in Korea remained unresolved. In a statement, Bethesda said, "We are working closely with the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea to resolve the launch delay as quickly as possible," and added, "We will do our best to provide a better gaming experience."
However, a representative from the committee responded, "The notice was posted unilaterally by MS without any prior consultation," and explained, "As of today, there has been no application for rating classification for this game, and if a review request is submitted, we will proceed according to the established procedures." As a self-rating entity, MS had previously classified "Oblivion Remaster" as suitable for ages 15 and up between January and March, ahead of its release. Despite there being no procedural issues with the release, MS and Bethesda have unusually applied a regional lock to both Steam and Xbox platforms and have not launched the game, raising questions among gamers.
Industry insiders have analyzed that the issue may be related to the fact that the original game, released in 2006, received a "restricted to adults" rating in Korea, while the remastered version was self-classified as suitable for ages 15 and up. In Korea, games rated as "restricted to adults" must undergo review by the Game Rating and Administration Committee, leading to speculation that the delay may have resulted from disagreements between MS and Bethesda during the coordination process.
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