"Indie Publisher Struggles After Oblivion Remastered Overshadows Launch"

The surprise release, or "shadow-drop," of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on April 22 sent waves across the gaming community, but it cast a long shadow over indie developers who had planned to launch their games on the same day. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, expressed his concerns on social media, highlighting how massive shadow-drops from blockbuster games like Oblivion Remastered can overshadow smaller releases, leaving them "buried."

Antonsson shared his personal enthusiasm for Oblivion, appreciating its remastering as a chance to introduce the game to a new generation of players. 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 explained.

He specifically mentioned Post Trauma, a puzzle horror game developed by Red Soul Games and published by Raw Fury on April 22. Described as a title inspired by PS2-era classics, players navigate through environments, face threats, and encounter other lost characters in the mysterious Gloom. Antonsson expressed his support for the game but also the frustration felt by the team and the developer who had dedicated years to its creation.

Raw Fury's tweet on the release day sarcastically noted, "Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!" highlighting their disappointment with the timing.

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 start on Steam and has dominated online discussions, with players reveling in the return of the game's iconic character faces, old bugs, and beloved memes.

The impact of Oblivion Remastered has also been felt by other titles. Even games heavily marketed by Microsoft, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, faced challenges. Its publisher, Kepler Interactive, acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of launching the same week as Oblivion Remastered, with both games being available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

For Raw Fury, the release of Post Trauma on the same day as Oblivion Remastered was an unfortunate coincidence. It might be remembered as one of those unpredictable events in the gaming industry.

For those diving into Oblivion Remastered, our comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know, including 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.