The unexpected shadow-drop release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on April 22 sent shockwaves through the gaming community, but it left indie developers who had planned to launch their games on the same day struggling for visibility.
Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, expressed his concerns on social media about the impact of such "massive" shadow-drops by major titles. "I loved (when younger) and still absolutely love Oblivion and I’m personally excited to see it get a breath of new life and being introduced to a whole new generation of players," Antonsson stated. However, he highlighted the challenges faced by indie developers: "But from the perspective of indies and indie publishers, this is the problem with these sorts of massive shadow drops. Everything more or less gets buried. We don’t have the cash nor muscle to throw around, so everything is carefully planned. Including when to release, based on other releases etc - to try to maximize the chances of getting attention."
Antonsson specifically mentioned Post Trauma by Red Soul Games, a puzzle horror game published by Raw Fury on April 22, which draws inspiration from PS2 era classics. Players "navigate environments, tackle threats, and meet other lost characters in the depths of the Gloom." He expressed empathy for the team and the developer: "Love the game that dropped but feel the pain for our team and especially the developer we’ve worked with for years - who has poured his heart and soul into his game."
Raw Fury’s sarcastic tweet on April 22 underscored their frustration: "Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!"
From the perspective of Bethesda and its parent company Microsoft, the shadow-drop of Oblivion Remastered has been a resounding success. The game saw a strong debut on Steam, sparking widespread online discussion as players reveled in the return of iconic character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.
Even other games heavily marketed by Microsoft have found themselves competing with Oblivion Remastered. This week, Kepler Interactive, the publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' phenomenon of launching the same week as Oblivion Remastered. Both titles were immediately available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Raw Fury could not have anticipated the shadow-drop of Oblivion Remastered when setting the release date for Post Trauma. It may simply be chalked up to unfortunate timing.
For those eager to dive into The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, we offer a comprehensive guide covering everything from an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, tips on How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and much more.
