The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered’s surprise release on April 22 created a huge online reaction, but independent developers who had scheduled their game for the same day found themselves struggling.
Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of indie publisher Raw Fury, shared on social media about how “large” surprise releases from major titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered can cause other games released at the same time to be overlooked.
“I loved (as a younger person) and still really enjoy Oblivion, and I’m personally thrilled to see it get a new lease on life and reach a whole new group of players,” Antonsson said.
“But from the standpoint of independent developers and indie publishers, this is the challenge with these large surprise drops. Everything else tends to be overshadowed. We don’t have the budget or resources to compete, so every release is carefully planned—including the timing, based on other launches—to try to maximize visibility.”
Antonsson then referenced Red Soul Games’ Post Trauma, which Raw Fury published on April 22. It’s a puzzle horror game inspired by classic PS2 titles where you “explore environments, face dangers, and meet other lost characters in the depths of the Gloom.”
“I love the game that came out but feel the hurt for our team and especially the developer we’ve worked with for years—who put his heart and soul into this game,” Antonsson said.
Raw Fury had posted sarcastically on April 22: “Thank goodness Post Trauma was the only major release today and nothing else happened!”
From Bethesda and parent company Microsoft’s perspective, the Oblivion Remastered surprise release has been a major success. The game had an impressive debut on Steam, and it has dominated online conversations as players celebrate the return of quirky character expressions, old bugs, and memes.
Even other games that Microsoft has heavily promoted in marketing efforts are struggling against Oblivion Remastered. This week, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher Kepler Interactive admitted to the 'Barbenheimer' effect of releasing the same week as Oblivion Remastered. Both titles launched directly into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
As for Raw Fury, when it set the Post Trauma release date, it couldn’t have known that Oblivion Remastered was waiting to steal the spotlight. It may just go down as one of those things.
We’ve put together a full guide covering everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an extensive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, all PC Cheat Codes, and much more.
