Summary
- A shadow drops is a game that’s released immediately after the announcement, skipping the typical hype cycle.
- This method of releasing a game is a great way to get a lot of eyes on your product at once, while sidestepping the usual drawn-out conversations that surround upcoming releases.
- The game’s release is especially beneficial for Game Pass subscribers, a tactic that Microsoft has pulled in the past.
After less than a week of speculation and some screenshots that eagle-eyed fans dug up, the long-awaited remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is finally here. The good news is that it looks to be a hit.
But what makes the game so exciting isn’t just the fact that Bethesda is reviving a fan favorite, but that the game’s live-streamed announcement took place only minutes before the game was ready to install. More of this, please!
What Is a Shadow Drop?
A shadow drop is a fancy way of saying that a product is to be released immediately following its announcement. Rather than dropping a teaser trailer a few years out from release, followed by gameplay and narrative trailers closer to the big day; a shadow drop subverts the hype cycle by cutting out the speculative period entirely.
Oblivion is the latest big release to receive this treatment, but the gaming world usually sees a few such unexpected releases every year. These are most common during events like Summer Games Fest and The Game Awards, where publishers like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo attempt to delight fans with a surprise announcement.
It’s fair to say that these are most commonly remasters and remakes. Sometimes we’ll see a big release, as was the case with Tango Gameworks’ surprise hit rhythm brawler Hi-Fi Rush. Nintendo is also particularly fond of the shadow drop, with titles like Metroid Prime: Remastered being released immediately following the Nintendo Direct that announced it.
How the Hype Cycle Damages Games
The decision to shadow drop a game, even a remaster, is one that developers and publishers don’t take lightly. It’s a chance to immediately get a lot of eyes on your product while usually skipping the review cycle. While it’s healthy to be skeptical of a game that bypasses the review process in favor of a shadow drop, this isn’t always a sign that the game will be bad.
A less celebrated reason to shadow drop a game is to avoid the potentially toxic hype cycle that precedes a release. While this is just part and parcel of releasing a video game in the age of the internet, it can be fatiguing for fans to go through the motions.
Some games can seemingly never live up to the hype that they generate. GTA VI is set to break the internet when it finally arrives later in 2025, and while no company stands a better chance of pulling it off than Rockstar, the game’s first trailer on the official YouTube channel has so far had more than 250 million views. No pressure.
And then there are games that are announced way too early, long before they are ready for consumption. Nintendo made the mistake of teasing Metroid Prime 4 before the game was scrapped and development restarted from cold. Hollow Knight Silksong was announced in pre-pandemic 2019 and is finally set for release later this year. ConcernedApe, the creator of Stardew Valley, announced their next game called Haunted Chocolatier in 2021, but the project still has no release date set.
Duke Nukem Forever is perhaps the most egregious example of how ruthless the hype cycle can be, and how dangerous it is to announce a game long before it is ready for consumption. Nintendo’s recent example of Mario Kart World might be a nice compromise for announcements in advance, whether only a few months pass between the marketing train leaving the station and the game being released for real.
Oblivion Went From a Rumor to a Download in Days
There’s something particularly exciting about a shadow drop on the scale of Oblivion Remastered. Not to throw shade, but an HD 2D remaster of an obscure JRPG from the 90s that I never actually played doesn’t quite hit the same. Seeing an installation size of more than 120GB reminded me that an epic adventure awaits.
It’s particularly exciting for those who never experienced the original or anyone who attempted to go back to Oblivion after being spoiled by the technical improvements made in Skyrim.
I genuinely believe that I’m a lot more excited about Oblivion because of the short lead time. Installing it on both Xbox Series X consoles in the house was the first thing I did this morning, and I didn’t even mind that I had to find 100GB on each.
Fans can be especially precious about beloved old games, and for good reason. Some remasters, like Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy, remind us that common sense doesn’t always prevail and even a company the size of Rockstar can make poor decisions when handling some of its most precious IP (though thankfully, everything turned out ok in the end).
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Shadow dropping a game removes the dead air between announcement and release, during which speculation runs wild about whether the changes will be good for the overall package. Fans don’t have a chance to spoiler themselves by advancing a 30-second gameplay trailer frame-by-frame or pixel-peeping screenshots. Sometimes people just love to complain, even before they know there’s anything worth complaining about.
This Is Especially Good for Game Pass
As a Game Pass subscriber who has most recently been exploring a mansion in puzzle roguelite Blue Prince, having Oblivion arrive on day one was a pleasant (if not unexpected) surprise. Whether Microsoft likes it or not, the company has made its bed now: new games arrive on Game Pass Ultimate on day one, and that’s what keeps me subscribed.
Not only is it good for subscribers of the service, it’s good for the service itself. Microsoft is no longer precious about its IP, with longstanding Xbox franchises like Forza now available on PlayStation. But what stands out is the juxtaposition between Game Pass and its associated benefits compared with a full-priced release like Oblivion Remastered as a standalone title.
As an Elder Scrolls enjoyer, I’m confident that Oblivion is my kind of sweet roll. But if you’re more of a window shopper, being able to try out the game via Game Pass and then move on to something else for a reasonable $20 makes it hard to complain. I was able to install Oblivion Remastered on my partner’s console (they even started playing before I did) by sharing my Game Pass subscription and we can even both play at the same time.
As game prices climb ever higher, Game Pass is only going to look like a more tempting prospect. It’s the best reason to buy an Xbox, and it’s the reason that a good 80% of my gaming takes place on Microsoft’s platform. Shadow drops like Oblivion keep the value proposition high, and even make me feel like I’ve got something for “free” even though I’m definitely paying for it.
Even though Microsoft and Bethesda have had their fair share of disappointments over the past console generation, it’s easy to see a remaster like Oblivion as a win. Even with some performance issues and the inevitable Bethesda bugs, this is one shadow drop that looks set to win over fans.
Now if you don’t mind, Cyrodiil awaits!
