The unexpected release of *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered* on April 22 created a wave of excitement across the gaming community. However, for independent developers and publishers who had also planned launches on that day, the surprise drop overshadowed their efforts and left them struggling for visibility.
Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, voiced concerns over how large-scale shadow-drops from major titles like *Oblivion Remastered* can unintentionally bury smaller releases. Despite his personal enthusiasm for *Oblivion*, Antonsson highlighted the challenges faced by indie teams who rely on careful planning to maximize exposure.
“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 said.
“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—to try to maximize the chances of getting attention.”
Antonsson specifically referenced *Post Trauma*, an indie puzzle horror title published by Raw Fury and developed by Red Soul Games. The game launched on the same day as *Oblivion Remastered* to little fanfare, despite its unique concept rooted in PS2-era aesthetics, where players navigate eerie environments, face lurking threats, and encounter lost characters deep within 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 added.
Raw Fury humorously tweeted on April 22: “Thank god Post Trauma was the only notable release of today and nothing else happened!”—a clear nod to the overwhelming presence of *Oblivion Remastered* in the gaming spotlight.
From Bethesda and Microsoft’s perspective, the surprise launch of *Oblivion Remastered* proved to be a major success. The game made a strong debut on Steam and sparked widespread discussion online, with fans revisiting iconic character faces, classic bugs, and nostalgic memes.
Even Microsoft-published titles found themselves competing against the buzz surrounding *Oblivion Remastered*. For instance, *Clair Obscur: Expedition 33*, published by Kepler Interactive, launched the same week amid what some described as a “Barbenheimer-level” collision of hype and timing. Both games went straight into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate upon release.
For Raw Fury, the timing of *Post Trauma*’s launch was set without knowledge of *Oblivion Remastered*’s imminent arrival. In hindsight, it became just one of those unavoidable moments in the unpredictable world of game publishing.
If you're diving into *Oblivion Remastered*, make sure to check out our complete guide packed with essential information including the [ttpp], full walkthroughs for the Main Questline and all Guild Quests, expert tips on building the perfect character, must-do early-game tasks, every PC cheat code, and much more.
