On April 21, video game developer Bethesda released a remaster to their 2006 game, “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.”
This remaster was not a surprise. “Oblivion” is one of the most critically-acclaimed games of the 2000s and is a pioneer in the fantasy genre. New versions of classic games have become increasingly common over the past several years. The surprise came in the form of the release.
Nobody knew it was coming.
When the game hit digital stores that Monday, it did so without any promotional material. No reveal trailer. No release date. Nothing but the game and a price. It defied all conventions of modern media release. There was no hype built, no clever rollout, no way for the audience to interact with the drop.
Which is what made it all the more surprising when it worked.
In less than a week, the remaster had four million concurrent players, and in all likelihood will blaze past the 12 million copies the original “Oblivion” sold.
This strategy of releasing a piece of media without prior marketing is often referred to as a “shadowdrop.” It’s frequently used in the video game industry when there is already fertile ground for a product’s release.
In 2019, Respawn Entertainment revealed and released the battle royale game “Apex Legends” on the same day. This was at the height of the battle royale format’s popularity, and Respawn had already built respect as a developer. “Apex Legends” has since become one of the most popular battle royale games not named “Fortnite.”
However, a more compelling example of a shadowdrop comes from outside the video game sphere.
As of this article’s publication, it will have been a year since the climax of the Drake-Kendrick Lamar rap beef. The feud highlighted the differences in marketing between the artists. Drake’s releases were characterized by leaks, promotional billboards and messages to live streamers like Kai Cenat telling him there was a song coming. Kendrick took the opposite approach.
K Dot shadowdropped every single song.
His smash hit “Not Like Us,” which won five Grammys? Shadowdropped. The sinister “Meet the Grahams” that most people believe was the killshot in the beef? Shadowdropped. Even the track that ignited the whole feud, Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” had a hidden feature. Nobody knew Kendrick was on the song until they listened to it.
Kendrick carried this strategy over to the release of his 2024 album “GNX,” and the success was just as potent. The record has sold over two million copies in the United States alone. The album’s third track, “luther,” has spent ten weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kendrick knew he didn’t need to promote these releases. The beef had generated sufficient hype; he just had to deliver. Just like how the battle royale format generated plenty of interest in “Apex Legends,” or how the original game’s iconography allowed the “Oblivion” remaster to thrive.
For most releases, a promotional run is necessary. Some formats simply aren’t conducive to it. You’ll never see a blockbuster movie be shadowdropped. Advertising material isn’t going away anytime soon.
But games like “Oblivion” give us reprieve from the constant bombardment of media trying to convince us to spend our time and money on items. Sometimes the industry promotes for you. Sometimes the format means the audience is already paying attention.
Sometimes you just need to let your art do the talking, and watch as the world stops to listen.
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