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 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 like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered can overshadow other releases, causing them 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 expressed. "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 highlighted the plight of Red Soul Games’ Post Trauma, a puzzle horror game 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 lamented.
Raw Fury tweeted sarcastically on April 22: "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 as players revel in the return of iconic character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.
Even other games that Microsoft has heavily marketed are facing competition from 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 made available directly on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
As for Raw Fury, when it set the Post Trauma release date, it couldn’t have anticipated that Oblivion Remastered would overshadow their launch. It may simply be chalked up to unfortunate timing.
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.
