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, feeling overshadowed.
Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, voiced his concerns on social media, highlighting the challenges indie developers face when major titles like Oblivion Remastered are released without warning. "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 added, "But from the perspective of indies and indie publishers, this is the problem with these sort 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 pointed to Post Trauma, a puzzle horror game developed by Red Soul Games and published by Raw Fury on April 22. Inspired by PS2-era classics, Post Trauma challenges players to navigate environments, tackle threats, and meet other lost characters in the depths of the Gloom. "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," Antonsson expressed.
Raw Fury's tweet on April 22 captured the sentiment with a touch of sarcasm: "Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!"
From Bethesda and parent company Microsoft’s perspective, the Oblivion Remastered shadow-drop has been a resounding success. The game has seen a strong start on Steam and has dominated online discussions, with players celebrating the return of its iconic character faces, old bugs, and memes.
The impact of Oblivion Remastered has been felt even by other games that Microsoft has heavily marketed. This week, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher Kepler Interactive acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of launching in the same week as Oblivion Remastered, with both games debuting on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
For Raw Fury, the timing of Post Trauma's release couldn't have been anticipated, as they had no prior knowledge of Oblivion Remastered's shadow-drop. It's an unfortunate circumstance that may simply be chalked up to bad timing.
For those eager to dive into 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.
