"Indie Publisher Struggles as Oblivion Remaster Overshadows Their Release"

The unexpected shadow-drop release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on April 22 sent waves across the gaming community, but it left indie developers, who had scheduled their game launches for the same day, grappling with the consequences.

Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, voiced his concerns on social media, highlighting the impact of "massive" shadow-drops from major titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. He explained that such releases can overshadow everything else, causing smaller games to be "buried."

"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, showing his appreciation for the game. However, he went on to discuss the challenges faced by indie developers: "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 then brought attention to Post Trauma, a puzzle horror game developed by Red Soul Games and published by Raw Fury on the same day. Inspired by PS2 era classics, Post Trauma involves navigating environments, tackling threats, and meeting other lost characters in the depths of the Gloom. Antonsson expressed his 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, stating sarcastically, "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 triumph. The game saw a stellar 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 pressure from Oblivion Remastered. This week, Kepler Interactive, the publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of launching the same week as Oblivion Remastered. Both games were made available directly on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

For Raw Fury, setting the release date for Post Trauma without knowing about Oblivion Remastered's shadow-drop was an unfortunate coincidence. It may be remembered as one of those unpredictable events in the gaming industry.

For those eager to dive into The Elder Scrolls IV: 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.