The 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 to be noticed. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, took to social media to voice his concerns about how "massive" shadow-drops from big-name games can overshadow smaller releases.
"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 shared. 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 *Red Soul Games’ Post Trauma*, a puzzle horror game published by Raw Fury on April 22, which draws inspiration from PS2 era classics. In this game, 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 who had dedicated years to the project: "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 tweet on April 22 reflected 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 launch on Steam and has dominated online conversations, with players reveling in the return of iconic character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.
Even other games that Microsoft has heavily marketed are feeling the impact of *Oblivion Remastered*. This week, *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* publisher Kepler Interactive acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of launching the same week as *Oblivion Remastered*. Both games were released directly into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
For Raw Fury, setting the release date for *Post Trauma* without knowing about *Oblivion Remastered* was unfortunate timing. It may simply be remembered as one of those unpredictable events in the gaming industry.
For those eager to dive into *Oblivion Remastered*, we offer a comprehensive guide that includes 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.
