"Indie Publisher Struggles as Oblivion Remastered 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 planning to launch their games on the same day. Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, expressed his concerns on social media, highlighting how "massive" shadow-drops from major titles like *Oblivion Remastered* can overshadow other releases.

Antonsson shared his personal excitement for *Oblivion*, a game he has cherished since his youth and is thrilled to see revitalized for a new generation. However, he pointed out the difficulties this creates 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, which was released on the same day. Inspired by PS2-era classics, *Post Trauma* involves navigating environments, tackling threats, and encountering other lost characters in the Gloom. Antonsson expressed empathy for his team and the developer, who had dedicated years to the project: "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."

On the day of the release, Raw Fury tweeted with a touch of sarcasm, "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 saw a strong debut on Steam and has dominated online conversations, with players reveling in the return of quirky character faces, nostalgic bugs, and beloved memes.

The impact of *Oblivion Remastered* has been felt even by other games promoted heavily by Microsoft. This week, Kepler Interactive, the publisher of *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, acknowledged the 'Barbenheimer' effect of launching during the same week as *Oblivion Remastered*. Both games were immediately added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Raw Fury had set the release date for *Post Trauma* without foreknowledge of *Oblivion Remastered*'s impending shadow-drop, an unfortunate timing that might simply be chalked up to bad luck.

For those eager to dive 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.