The unexpected shadow-drop release of *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered* on April 22 sent waves through the gaming community, but it left indie developers scrambling. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, expressed his concerns on social media about the impact of such major releases on smaller games. He highlighted how "massive" shadow-drops from big titles like *Oblivion Remastered* can overshadow other releases, essentially "burying" them.
Antonsson shared his personal enthusiasm for *Oblivion*, a game he has loved since his youth and is thrilled to see revitalized for a new generation. However, he pointed out the challenges faced by indie developers and publishers: "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."
He specifically mentioned *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* lets players "navigate environments, tackle threats, and meet other lost characters in the depths of the Gloom." Antonsson 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 sarcastic tweet on the day of the release underscored their frustration: "Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!"
From Bethesda and Microsoft's perspective, the shadow-drop of *Oblivion Remastered* has been a resounding success. The game has seen a strong start on Steam and has dominated online discussions, with players reveling in the return of iconic character faces, nostalgic bugs, and memes. Even other games heavily marketed by Microsoft, such as *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, are feeling the pressure of competing with *Oblivion Remastered*. Both games launched on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, creating a 'Barbenheimer' effect as described by Kepler Interactive.
Raw Fury had no way of anticipating the *Oblivion Remastered* shadow-drop when setting the release date for *Post Trauma*, and the situation may simply be chalked up to unfortunate timing.
For those diving into *Oblivion Remastered*, we offer a comprehensive guide that covers everything from an expansive Interactive Map to 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.
