The unexpected release of *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered* on April 22 sent shockwaves through the gaming community, but for indie developers planning to launch their games on the same day, the impact was far from celebratory. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, took to social media to voice the challenges faced by smaller studios when overshadowed by major titles.
"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. However, he highlighted a significant issue for 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 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. "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's tweet on April 22 was laced with 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 shadow-drop of *Oblivion Remastered* has been a resounding success. The game saw a strong launch 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*, have felt the impact of *Oblivion Remastered*. Kepler Interactive, the publisher of *Clair Obscur*, acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' energy of launching the same week as *Oblivion Remastered*, with both games debuting directly into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
For Raw Fury, the decision to release *Post Trauma* on April 22 was made without knowledge of *Oblivion Remastered*'s impending shadow-drop. It's a situation that may simply be chalked up to unfortunate timing.
For those diving 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.