Indie Publisher Devastated as Oblivion Remastered Overshadows Their Release

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 had planned their game launches for the same day struggling to gain visibility. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, expressed his concerns on social media, highlighting how the massive release of a high-profile game like *Oblivion Remastered* can overshadow smaller titles, causing them to be "buried."

"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 shared. However, he pointed out the challenges faced by indie developers and publishers, saying, "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 inspired by PS2 era classics and published by Raw Fury on April 22. In *Post Trauma*, players 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 tweeted sarcastically on the same day: "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 dominated online discussions, with players reminiscing about the game's quirky character faces, beloved bugs, and iconic memes.

Even other games that Microsoft has heavily marketed, like *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33* from publisher Kepler Interactive, faced stiff competition from *Oblivion Remastered*. Both games were released the same week and launched directly into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, creating a 'Barbenheimer' effect in the gaming world.

Raw Fury couldn't have anticipated the shadow-drop of *Oblivion Remastered* when setting the release date for *Post Trauma*. It's an unfortunate circumstance that may be remembered as 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.