"Indie Publisher Boss Laments Team's Struggle After Oblivion Remastered Overshadows Launch"

The surprise 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 for visibility.

Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, took to social media to voice his concerns about the impact of such "massive" shadow-drops from blockbuster games. He explained that these unexpected releases can cause other games to be "buried" under the hype. "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 stated, showing his appreciation for the game itself.

However, he highlighted the challenges faced by indie developers: "But from the perspective of indies and indie publishers, this is the problem with these sort 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 April 22, which was overshadowed by the Oblivion Remastered release. Post Trauma is inspired by PS2-era classics and involves navigating environments, tackling threats, and encountering 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 expressed.

Raw Fury took to Twitter on April 22 with a sarcastic remark: "Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!"

From the perspective of Bethesda and its parent company Microsoft, the shadow-drop of Oblivion Remastered was 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 quirky character faces, classic bugs, and beloved memes.

The impact of Oblivion Remastered has been felt even by other games that Microsoft has heavily marketed. This week, Kepler Interactive, the publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, 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 knowing about the impending Oblivion Remastered launch was unfortunate, and it may be remembered as one of those unpredictable events in the gaming industry.

For those diving into The Elder Scrolls IV: 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.