Dishonored 2—one of the best immersive sims ever made—did not sell as well as a game of its pedigree or impressiveness really deserved.
And if it wasn't for the reputation of the series, which offered it a «seal-of-quality protection», and Arkane's history of arguably making Bethesda's «most refined games», the studio might not be around today.
This is according to former Arkane Lyon designer Julien Eveillé, who started as a QA on Dishonored 2 before joining the design team for the series' final game Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.
Despite being a superb follow-up, it similarly did not have the impact both Arkane and Bethesda might have hoped for. «It was a bit strange and weird,» he says. «I think when Bethesda was looking at the numbers, they thought, OK, Skyrim sold so much.
And it cost less than Dishonored 2 to make. So they were asking questions. From an executive spend standpoint, it makes sense to ask those questions of, 'Why should we keep going with you?' But we knew that we had a kind of seal-of-quality protection, making what would maybe be considered the most refined games of the whole Bethesda catalogue.» Certainly, Dishonored had a very different level of refinement when compared to Skyrim, and the rest of the Elder Scrolls series.