Skyblivion, the massive modding project reinterpreting The Elder Scrolls 4 via Skyrim’s engine, had its release officially delayed to 2026 earlier this week. The delay followed an ex-Skyblivion level and world designer Dee Keyes alleging that the mod’s previous 2025 release goal was “unachievable” earlier this year, in a post which also accused Skyblivion project lead Kyle ‘Rebelzize’ Rebel and implementation lead Heavy Burns of mismanaging communication within the mod’s team. In response, Heavy Burns asserted that “many” of the claims in the ex-dev’s post were “either misrepresented or just untrue”.

Now, in a Discord discussion emphasising that players shouldn’t assume the spellcrafting mechanic the modders have had to cut from the initial release will be put back in down the line, Skyblivion’s UI department lead has suggested they weren’t consulted about what was said in the YouTube video announcing the mod’s delay to next year. That’d be the delay announcement video which features a section specifically dedicated to the current status of Skyblivion’s UI and mechanics.

“Well, technically, I had no idea what was said in the video, I was not even asked, and I have not even watched it till now,” the mod’s sole UI lead, who goes by the handle Fallen011[35], wrote in response to a fan erroneously claiming the delay video had confirmed spellcrafting will definitely be added post-release. “If that was said, then I hope it was said in a manner of ‘planned’ or better as a hope instead of a promise.”

That was how it was framed in the video, with project lead Rebel simply saying it and the also cut underwater combat “are features we would like to add to the game at a later date”. In other Discord comments, Fallen011[35] also responded to fans who say that they’re planning to wait for spellcrafting to be added before playing Skyblivion, commenting that there’s no guarantee that either this or the revamped interface (which Rebel has said the team would work on “if time allows”) will definitely arrive.

“Both require massive amounts of work, and for me to be honest, I do not know if I want to keep working [non-stop] on UI after release,” the lead wrote. “UI is not really great to work with in Skyrim, and at some point I just want to be finished with UI. And for me and others in the Project, spell crafting is not that important. That being said, I would keep hopes down and not think that this will 100% be the case.”

Makes sense, but it’s Fallen011[35]’s suggestion that they weren’t privy to what was said in the video about the release delay which stuck me, especially in light of the allegations of communication issues that Keyes levelled at the leads in his post. Rebel’s video doesn’t just announce the delay – it paints a picture of where each key aspect of the mod’s development is at right now, including its user interface. The project lead says in the intro that the group “did not want to announce a delay without also sharing our current plans and ambitions for the release of the project.”

With that in mind, it seems strange to me for the mod project leads not to be kept in the loop about the video’s contents, at least as it concerned their specific department’s area, regardless of whether they had any direct input on exactly what was said. Even if it wasn’t necessary to ensure Rebel could provide an up-to-date and accurate picture of progress, it would seem sensible for the team to be all on the same page ahead of making an important public announcement about their project.

I’ve reached out the Skyblivion team and project lead Kyle Rebel for comment.

If you’re keen to get an early idea of how you’ll acquire and play Skyblivion before release, check out the chat I had with Rebel and GOG earlier this year.