Microsoft Scrapped Redfall Development for PS5 After Bethesda Acquisition: Report

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A PS5 version of upcoming Arkane shooter Redfall was reportedly scrapped by Microsoft. Speaking to IGN France, game director Harvey Smith revealed that one of the notable consequences of Microsoft acquiring Bethesda in 2021 was that the development focus for Redfall shifted entirely towards PC, Xbox, and Xbox Game Pass. “We were acquired by Microsoft and it was a change with capital C. They came in and said, 'No PlayStation 5',” Smith explained in the interview. Work on developer Arkane Austin's upcoming vampire shooter commenced a year before the $7.5 billion (about Rs. 61,663 crore) acquisition of Bethesda-parent ZeniMax Media.

While Redfall was originally planned for release on all platforms, Smith doesn't mind Microsoft's decision to cancel the PS5 version. He notes that it's “even a good decision,” as it helps to support Game Pass and frees the developers from having to worry about an entire platform. “...Game Pass has a ton of people that can play. It could be our biggest game ever because of the 30 million Game Pass [members] or whatever that number is,” he added. The news comes amidst Microsoft's ongoing attempts to convince regulators to approve its $69 billion (about Rs. 5,67,745 crore) buyout of Activision Blizzard. The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) previously concluded that the deal could harm gamers in the UK by reducing competition between Xbox and PlayStation — in the former's favour.

While Redfall was announced in June 2021, long after the Microsoft and Bethesda merger, plans for a PlayStation version never came to light until now. Smith's statement could potentially weaken Microsoft's arguments in favour of the ongoing Activision acquisition even as it continues to claim that Call of Duty will