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

The surprise release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on April 22 sent shockwaves through the gaming community, but it posed significant challenges for indie developers who had scheduled their game launches on the same day. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, expressed his concerns on social media, highlighting the impact of "massive" shadow-drops by major titles like Oblivion Remastered, which can overshadow smaller releases.

Antonsson, a fan of Oblivion from his youth and still an enthusiast, celebrated the remaster's potential to introduce the game to a new generation of players. However, he pointed out the difficulties this posed 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," he explained.

He specifically mentioned 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, confront threats, and interact with other lost characters in the depths of the Gloom. Antonsson expressed his sympathy for the team and the developer, who had dedicated years to the project, only to be overshadowed by Oblivion Remastered's release.

Raw Fury's sarcastic tweet on the day of the release, "Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!" underscored their frustration.

From Bethesda and Microsoft's perspective, the shadow-drop of Oblivion Remastered has been a resounding success. The game has seen a strong launch on Steam and has dominated online conversations, with players relishing the return of iconic character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.

Even other games heavily marketed by Microsoft have felt the impact of Oblivion Remastered's release. This week, Kepler Interactive, the publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of launching the same week as Oblivion Remastered. Both games were added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on launch day.

For Raw Fury, the timing of Post Trauma's release was unfortunate and unforeseeable, given the unexpected nature of Oblivion Remastered's shadow-drop. It may be remembered as one of those unpredictable events in the gaming industry.

For those diving into Oblivion Remastered, we offer a comprehensive guide covering everything from 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.