Microsoft Fires Back, Says No PlayStation Game Releases Were Canceled

gamerant.com:

According to a Microsoft spokesperson, a full-fledged PS5 version of Redfall was not «pulled» from production, and the studio allegedly expanded its PlayStation footprint following its acquisition of ZeniMax and its subsidiaries. It didn't take long for Microsoft to come up with a retort after Harvey Smith, the director of Arkane Studios, claimed that his team was instructed to forego the Sony console and focus on PC and Xbox.

While it's been plainly stated from the get-go that Arkane's new flagship title wasn't coming out on PS5, the recent news that a PS5 version of Redfall was canceled caught some people by surprise. Since it was coming from Harvey Smith specifically, who is renowned for his work on immersive sims such as Deus Ex and Dishonored, the claims were all the more striking and forced Microsoft to address them.

Redfall Could Be Getting Rid of Its Most Controversial Feature

Microsoft spoke with GameSpot to provide a response to Harvey Smith's claims that Arkane was directed to focus specifically on PC and Xbox platforms for the launch of Redfall. The spokesperson said that "[Microsoft hadn't] pulled any games from PlayStation," pointing to the fact that two high-profile ZeniMax releases, Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop, came out as PS5 exclusives even though the studio had already been acquired. The spokesperson highlighted Microsoft's expansion of accessibility for Minecraft, claiming that its approach to ZeniMax properties is precisely the same: extending their reach irrespective of the platform they're on.

The crux of the issue has much to do with Microsoft's ongoing acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Harvey Smith's comments may have been taken out of context or perhaps misinterpreted in a way, as he claims