Harvey Smith, a veteran game designer and former Arkane studio director, reflects on the closure of Arkane Studios by Microsoft following the poor performance of Redfall, emphasizing the unpredictability of creative efforts and expressing concern for the junior staff affected by the shutdown. He also discusses the challenges of online feedback and the potential missed opportunities with updates and unreleased projects like a Blade Runner game.
Xbox fans are left with questions following the reveal of Marvel's Blade from Arkane Studios at The Game Awards 2023. The game's marketing did not mention Xbox, leaving fans uncertain about its platform availability, inclusion in Xbox Game Pass, and whether it will be an Xbox exclusive or multi-platform title. Xbox's silence may be due to various reasons, including ongoing challenges to the Activision Blizzard deal. The game is set in a quarantined section of Paris during a supernatural emergency, with vampires terrorizing the city. Arkane Lyon has just begun development on the game, promising immersive gameplay and a compelling narrative.
Arkane Studios announced their next game, Marvel's Blade, at The Game Awards. The third-person, single-player game is set in a quarantined area of Paris during a "supernatural emergency" where vampires are terrorizing the night. The studio is in early development, and there is no release date yet. Fans were expecting Dishonored 3, but instead, Arkane revealed their take on the Blade character.
With The Game Awards 2023 just over 24 hours away, rumors are circulating about potential Xbox announcements. One rumor suggests that Arkane Studios may reveal their next game at the event, while another industry insider hints at an announcement that will "have a lot of people talking." Other rumors include a possible Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons remake and speculation about Baldur's Gate 3 becoming a day one Xbox Game Pass title. The answers will be revealed at The Game Awards 2023.
Five months after its release, Redfall has finally received a 60fps mode on Xbox Series X/S, along with improved performance on PC, stealth takedowns, increased enemy counts, and more. The update also includes gameplay and performance improvements, such as increased open-world enemy population and balancing for mission encounters. Redfall's concurrent player count on Steam has dropped significantly, with the game facing technical issues and unfulfilled potential.
An extensive report by Bloomberg has revealed that the development of "Redfall" was hampered by a lack of clear direction, high staff turnover, and insufficient resources. The push for a live service title reportedly came from Bethesda's former parent company ZeniMax, and "Redfall" was designed with a significant microtransaction plan in mind until it was scrapped in 2021. Despite the poor launch reception, Developer Arkane will continue to work on the game.
Developers of Redfall, the latest game from Arkane Studios, have cited unclear direction, high turnover, and a small team as reasons for the game's shortcomings. ZeniMax's push to make it a games-as-a-service title was also a key influence in the game's development. The project's direction was unclear, and management used different games as referrals, resulting in departments having different understandings of what they were developing. The game saw a number of delays until its May launch and received low critical scores.
Some employees at Arkane Studios reportedly hoped that Microsoft might cancel Redfall or reboot it as a single-player game, but development continued as normal. Redfall launched on May 2 to poor reception from critics and players. The game was born out of Zenimax's push for studios to create "games as a service" games. Development was led by Harvey Smith and Ricardo Bare, and the two pitched Redfall as a "multiplayer Arkane game." However, tension continued to rise as a studio with less than 100 people who had focused on the single-player games of Arkane's past clashed with the multiplayer ideas at play in Redfall.
Redfall's disappointing release was reportedly due to a lack of clear direction, high staff turnover, and insufficient resources. The game's development team was continually understaffed, with many experienced developers leaving the studio. Microsoft reportedly took a hands-off approach to Bethesda's game development studios, with some Arkane staff hoping the Xbox maker might cancel Redfall or reboot it as a single-player game. Xbox boss Phil Spencer acknowledged that they should have engaged earlier with the team to assist in development.
Redfall, the latest game from Arkane Studios Austin, has dropped out of the top 50 most played games list on Xbox in less than a month since its launch. The decline in player base is likely due to negative reviews, bugs, and performance issues. Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda resulted in the cancellation of the PS5 version of the game, which the creative director saw as a positive thing. Reports suggest that Microsoft knew Redfall would be a "disaster" prior to its release, and the company was unable to help with its development in time.
Redfall, the latest game from Arkane Studios, fails to live up to the legacy of Stephen King's Salem's Lot and other popular vampire fiction. The game's narrative is unevenly delivered, and its roots in King's novel and vampire fiction are buried beneath layers of distraction. Redfall's heroes are battling overwhelming odds, but their supernatural powers and the game's dimwitted enemies position the rebels less as bedraggled freedom fighters than as a Red Dawn-style militia hitting back with nearly equal resources. Redfall doesn't do enough to center its best qualities, putting its plot too far in the background of a dull open-world shooter.
The team at Arkane Studios is committed to improving the state of Redfall on Xbox and PC after a rocky start, according to animator Christian Orellana. While specifics on these improvements are not yet available, it's likely that the team is working on getting the game running at 60FPS. Other areas of the game could also use polishing up, and players are eagerly awaiting patches to improve their Redfall experience.
Redfall, the new open-world shooter game from Arkane Studios, is now available on Xbox Game Pass. Reviews have been mixed, with some outlets praising its compelling adventure and killer combat, while others criticize its bugs and lack of identity. Redfall currently has a Metacritic score of 64 out of 100 and an Open Critic average of 66 out of 100.
With just a week to go until Redfall's launch on Xbox Game Pass, fans are still excited despite the lack of a launch trailer or preload option. Fresh gameplay footage from IGN has reminded fans of the variety and energy that Arkane Studios brings to their games, and the co-op option is a welcome addition. The poll asks fans if they are still hyped for Redfall and what they are most excited to experience.
Deathloop was created by Arkane Studios after Bethesda expressed uncertainty about whether it wanted a Dishonored 3. Bethesda asked Arkane to pitch a smaller, experimental project that would keep the studio busy while it made up its mind about the developer's next major game. Deathloop was the result, and it became a big hit. Arkane's next major release is Redfall, while its founders have formed a new studio called WolfEye Studios, which recently released Weird West.
