Redfall devs reportedly hoped it would be cancelled or rebooted by Microsoft
A new report claims to shed light on the circumstances that resulted in Redfall’s disappointing release last month.
Following several delays, the first major Xbox exclusive from Bethesda released with a number of technical issues and generally reviewed poorly, garnering aggregate scores of 56 (Xbox Series X/S) and 54 (PC) on Metacritic.
Redfall is a multiplayer loot shooter, a genre that’s new to creator Arkane Studios, which is best known for its critically acclaimed single-player immersive sims like Dishonored and Prey.
According to a new Bloomberg report, the game’s development was hampered by a lack of clear direction, a high turnover of staff, and insignificant resources for what was billed as a triple-A game.
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The report, which is based on the accounts of over a dozen anonymous sources who worked on the title, said the project started development in 2018 after being pitched to staff as a “multiplayer Arkane game”.
Some members reportedly found the pitch confusing and felt unsure that the sort of gameplay Arkane was known for would translate well to a co-op setting.
The game reportedly suffered because its development team was continually understaffed, with Arkane’s Austin office employing fewer than 100 people, and insufficient outsourcing support offered by Bethesda.
Many experienced developers who weren’t interested in making a multiplayer game reportedly left the studio, with almost three quarters of the Austin staff who had worked on 2017’s Prey said to have departed Arkane by the time Redfall was finished.
Arkane is said to have experienced difficulties filling vacancies, with lower-than-average salaries, its Texas location,
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