Speaking to GamesRadar+ at The Golden Joystick Awards 2025, Mustaine said they saw “a real successful shadowdrop with Hi-Fi Rush through Xbox and through Bethesda,” which encouraged the studio to try the tactic again. He added that Todd Howard has long liked the idea of surprise launches because of the immediate impact: “Here’s the thing — get it today. It’s very valuable.”
Mustaine also noted that audiences increasingly expect instant access — a trend he partly attributes to platforms like TikTok and an overcrowded release schedule. “We all have short attention spans now,” he said, adding that the immediacy of a shadowdrop helps capture attention: owning the conversation for a day and delivering the product the moment you announce it is a powerful tool. He said he hopes Bethesda will continue using the tactic and would welcome other developers doing the same.
As for what might appear next, the fun of a shadowdrop is the surprise — but rumours have suggested Bethesda could be working on a remaster of Fallout 3. If pressed to speculate, that’s where some bettors might put their money.
Oblivion Remastered’s “physical” console editions will still “require content download,” a decision that’s left some RPG fans asking: “Why produce a physical version that needs a download?”
Source: gamesradar.com
