"Indie Publisher Struggles After Oblivion Remastered Overshadows Release"

The unexpected shadow-drop release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered on April 22 sent shockwaves through the gaming community. While fans rejoiced, indie developers, particularly those with games set to launch on the same day, found themselves in a challenging position.

Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, took to social media to express his concerns about the impact of such massive releases. "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 highlighted the struggles 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 Post Trauma, a puzzle horror game developed by Red Soul Games and published by Raw Fury, which was released on the same day as Oblivion Remastered. Described as a game inspired by PS2 era classics, Post Trauma involves navigating environments, tackling threats, and meeting 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 social media team even tweeted sarcastically on April 22, saying, "Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!"

From Bethesda and parent company Microsoft's perspective, the shadow-drop of Oblivion Remastered was a resounding success. The game saw a strong launch on Steam and has dominated online conversations, with players reminiscing about its quirky character faces, classic bugs, and beloved memes.

The impact of Oblivion Remastered has been felt across the industry, with other games, including those heavily marketed by Microsoft, struggling for attention. This week, Kepler Interactive, the publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of releasing the same week as Oblivion Remastered, as both games launched directly into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

For Raw Fury, setting the release date for Post Trauma without knowing about Oblivion Remastered turned out to be an unfortunate coincidence. It may go down as just one of those things in the unpredictable world of game releases.

For those diving into The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, we've put together a comprehensive guide. It 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.