An ambitious Starfield mod that sought to bring Elder Scrolls to a single planet has been canned, but the modders insist that it wasn't a joke: 'The project was genuine'

Last week, a group of modders introduced a new concept to the Starfield Reddit: an entire planet dedicated to Tamriel from The Elder Scrolls series, aptly named Project Tamriel. But their grand vision was apparently not meant to be, as a few days later the team decided to rescind their plans. 

In the original post, Redditor and would-be modder behind Project Tamriel, New-Star-340, outlined what the mod would look like. "This project will seamlessly integrate Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind into Starfield, creating a unified and immersive experience on a single distant planet. We are reimagining Tamriel with a unique Starfield twist." 

They also went on to outline various features, such as a modular release structure that would see Skyrim, Oblivion, and Morrowind sections released separately to ensure "high-quality content throughout the project's development," New-Star-340 says. There were also meant to be authentic items and quests, meaning all "weapons, armor, spells, and items from the Elder Scrolls series will be meticulously ported and updated," New-Star-340 continues. "Quests will be faithfully recreated, ensuring an authentic yet fresh experience for players." 

All in all, the project sounded interesting, but the scope of the mod worried some players, who pointed out that this may be more of a monumental task than the modders first anticipated. "I can't wait to see this come out in 2050," one player commented, as others pointed out that this would be "a hundred-year effort minimum." 

The lack of community excitement and support seemed to be the main reason for Project Tamriel ending development before it really began. "After sharing the initial concept with the community, it became clear that the support we were hoping for just wasn't there," New-Star-340 says (via VG247). "Many fans voiced concerns and indicated that they were not interested in seeing this project come to fruition. In terms of the team, we were a small group of passionate modders excited about the possibilities. However, the feedback we received made us realize that the excitement we felt wasn't shared by the broader community."

Despite the shaky reception of Project Tamriel, New-Star-340 did stress that they would support another team effort to get this project off the ground. "For now, though, my team and I don't feel it's worth pursuing without the necessary backing and enthusiasm from the community," New-Star-340 continues. 

Also, if you think you've heard of Project Tamriel before but can't remember why, then that's probably because this project shares a name with an established and very popular collection of Morrowind modding projects that have been ongoing for decades. VG247 even asked New-Star-340 if they were aware of these mods, to which they responded: "I was not aware of the existing project when we started. We had ideas to change the name to avoid any confusion, but since the project will not be moving forward, this is now a moot point." 

It's certainly been quite a rollercoaster ride over the last week, and while it's sad to see any modding project hit the brakes, I'm not sure this one ever really had a chance anyway.