"Indie Publisher Boss Laments Team's Struggle Post Oblivion Remastered Release"

The unexpected shadow-drop release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on April 22 sent shockwaves across the gaming community, but it cast a long shadow over indie developers who had planned their game launches for the same day. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, voiced his concerns on social media, highlighting how such "massive" shadow-drops by major titles can overshadow smaller releases, 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 expressed. However, he pointed out the challenges faced by indie developers: "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 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 April 22 underscored their frustration: "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 has been a resounding success. The game has seen a strong start on Steam and has dominated online discussions, with players reveling in the return of iconic character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.

The impact of Oblivion Remastered has been felt even by other games heavily marketed by Microsoft. 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 made available directly on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

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

For those eager to dive 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.