Indie Publisher Boss: 'The Pain for Our Team' After Oblivion Remastered Overshadows Launch

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 were set to launch their games on the same day, grappling with the aftermath.

Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, took to social media to voice his concerns about how "massive" shadow-drops from major titles like Oblivion Remastered can overshadow everything else released simultaneously. "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 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."

Antonsson then referenced Post Trauma, a puzzle horror game developed by Red Soul Games and 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's sarcastic tweet on the same day captured their frustration: "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 saw a strong launch on Steam and has dominated online conversations as players revel in the return of the game's quirky character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.

Even other titles that Microsoft has heavily promoted have struggled to compete with Oblivion Remastered. This week, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher Kepler Interactive acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of launching the same week as Oblivion Remastered, with both games debuting directly on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

For Raw Fury, setting the release date for Post Trauma without foreknowledge of Oblivion Remastered's shadow-drop was unfortunate but perhaps unavoidable. It may be remembered as just one of those unpredictable events in the gaming industry.

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.