"Indie Publisher Struggles After Oblivion Remastered Overshadows Launch"

The unexpected release, or shadow-drop, 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 own game launches for the same day, grappling with the fallout.

Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, took to social media to express his concerns about the impact of such massive shadow-drops from blockbuster titles. "Massive releases like *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered* can bury everything else that comes out at the same time," Antonsson explained. He shared his personal enthusiasm for the game, saying, "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."

However, from the perspective of indie developers and publishers, Antonsson highlighted the challenges they face. "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 referenced *Red Soul Games’ Post Trauma*, a puzzle horror game published by Raw Fury on April 22, inspired by PS2 era classics where players "navigate environments, tackle threats, and meet other lost characters in the depths of the Gloom." He expressed empathy for the developers, stating, "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."

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 enjoyed a strong debut on Steam and has dominated online discussions, with players reveling in the return of iconic character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.

Even other titles that Microsoft has heavily promoted have found themselves overshadowed by *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 making their debut on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

For Raw Fury, the release of *Post Trauma* on the same day as *Oblivion Remastered* was an unfortunate coincidence. 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 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.