CPG - Console & PC Gaming
  • Home
  • News
  • PC
  • PS5
  • Xbox
  • Switch
  • Mobile
  • Reviews
  • Guides
    • Deadlock Hero GuidesNew
    • Gray Zone Warfare GuidesNew
      • Artisan
      • Banshee
      • Gunny
      • Handshake
      • Lab Rat
      • Turncoat
    • Escape From Tarkov GuidesNew
      • Jaeger
      • Mechanic
        • Gunsmith
      • Peacekeeper
      • Prapor
      • Ragman
      • Skier
      • Therapist
No Result
View All Result
CPG - Console & PC Gaming
  • Home
  • News
  • PC
  • PS5
  • Xbox
  • Switch
  • Mobile
  • Reviews
  • Guides
    • Deadlock Hero GuidesNew
    • Gray Zone Warfare GuidesNew
      • Artisan
      • Banshee
      • Gunny
      • Handshake
      • Lab Rat
      • Turncoat
    • Escape From Tarkov GuidesNew
      • Jaeger
      • Mechanic
        • Gunsmith
      • Peacekeeper
      • Prapor
      • Ragman
      • Skier
      • Therapist
No Result
View All Result
CPG - Console & PC Gaming
No Result
View All Result
Home News

The Turbulent Journey of Redfall, Arkane Studios’ Latest Misfire

Margarita Kicevski by Margarita Kicevski
June 1, 2023
in News
0
Redfall Story Trailer

From its inception in 2018, Redfall, the multiplayer shooter game developed by Microsoft’s Arkane Studios, promised a fresh and exciting entry into the gaming world. Set on a fictional Massachusetts island besieged by vampires, Redfall aimed to bring together the best elements of immersive, single-player experiences for which Arkane is known and a novel multiplayer environment. Yet, when the game debuted on May 2, 2023, it was met with widespread critical disapproval, indicating a significant misstep in the execution of its ambitious concept.

A report by Bloomberg revealed that Arkane Studios had historically produced games, such as Prey and Dishonored 2, that were adored by fans but underperformed in sales. Unfortunately, Redfall seemed to break this tradition, failing to impress critics and consumers. The game’s numerous bugs, lack of polish, and underwhelming gameplay resulted in a dismal Metacritic score of 54 out of 100, categorizing it among the worst-reviewed games of the year.

Various issues plagued the game’s development, leading to its eventual downfall. One of the most prominent challenges was the lack of a clear direction for the game. Although Arkane Studios had a strong reputation for creating immersive, single-player games, developing a “multiplayer Arkane game” proved confusing for team members. This uncertainty was amplified by shifting references to other games, creating a disparity in departmental understanding of the game’s design and objectives.

Further exacerbating Redfall’s development troubles was a persistent staffing issue. Arkane’s Austin office was reported to employ fewer than 100 people, adequate for smaller, single-player games. This workforce deficit led to multiple delays in the game’s release schedule and increased pressure on the remaining staff.

Moreover, high attrition rates due to staff disinterest in developing a multiplayer game led to an approximately 70% turnover of the Austin staff who had previously worked on the 2017 game, Prey. Replacing these experienced workers was challenging due to ZeniMax’s reputation for paying below-average salaries and Texas’s conservative social policies.

Despite these struggles, hope was kindled among the staff when Microsoft purchased ZeniMax in September 2020. Some employees were hopeful that Microsoft would either cancel Redfall or allow it to be rebooted as a single-player game. However, aside from canceling a planned PlayStation 5 version of the game, Microsoft maintained a hands-off approach, causing disappointment among the team.

The game’s microtransaction plan also sparked controversy. For the first three years of Redfall’s development, a significant microtransaction plan was in place, which was scrapped in 2021 amidst an increasing backlash against the “games as a service” model.

Upon release, Redfall was heavily promoted as one of Xbox’s major upcoming releases, but it fell far short of expectations. The final product was plagued with technical glitches, and the gameplay was criticized as a poor compromise between single-player and multiplayer designs.

As a result, Redfall became a high-profile misfire for Microsoft’s Xbox division, which has struggled to produce hits this year. The setback raises the stakes for ZeniMax’s other upcoming games, particularly Starfield, due in September.

Tags: ArkaneArkane AustinMicrosoftRedfall
ShareTweet
Previous Post

PlayStation Plus June Lineup: NBA 2K23, Jurassic World Evolution 2 and Trek to Yomi

Next Post

MLB The Show 23 Game Update 8 is out, June 1st Patch Notes

Margarita Kicevski

Margarita Kicevski

My job is similar to Angel's, focus on news and updates, even though most of my work is taking care of two little devils. I am here to cover when most needed, and try to deliver the best I can. It's my fault pushing Angel to reboot ConsolePCGaming.com Wish me luck <3.

RELATEDPOSTS

EA Sports FC 25
News

Xbox Game Pass Welcomes EA Sports FC 25, The Alters, and More This June

June 5, 2025
News

Minecraft’s ‘Chase The Skies’ Update Brings Happy Ghasts and More, Release Date Unknown

June 3, 2025
Xbox games
News

Xbox’s June 2-6 Lineup: New Titles You Might Want to Check Out

May 30, 2025
Xbox Logo
News

Upcoming Xbox Releases: New Games Arriving May 26 to 30

May 23, 2025
Patch Notes

Minecraft – 1.21.81/82 (Bedrock) Patch Notes Revealed

May 19, 2025
Steam Logo
News

Microsoft Store May Soon Let You Access Steam Games Directly

May 19, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Battlestate Games shares results from the in-game Survey about the Flea Market

January 30, 2025

Escape From Tarkov 2025 Roadmap Revealed, Full Release Finally Confirmed

April 18, 2025
Tarkov patch 0.15

Escape From Tarkov reveals the 0.15 trailer before wipe

August 14, 2024

Minecraft Update 1.21.21 Patch Notes for August 14/15

August 14, 2024

Escape From Tarkov Best Graphics Settings – Updated With Patch 0.15.5

41

Escape From Tarkov: How to Snipe Flea Market Items Easily?

32

CoD: Warzone Season 2 Update Fixes Plenty of Bugs

28

MW2 and Warzone 2.0 Season 3 is full of Bugs and Issues, Upcoming Fixes and more

19

The Witcher 4 Might Draw Inspiration from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3

June 5, 2025

Enlisted’s Normandy Event Brings Historic D-Day Rewards and Rare Vehicles

June 5, 2025
EA Sports FC 25

Xbox Game Pass Welcomes EA Sports FC 25, The Alters, and More This June

June 5, 2025

NVIDIA GeForce Hotfix 576.66 Driver Fixes Crashes and Visual Glitches

June 4, 2025

CPGPATCH NOTES

News

League of Legends Patch 25.12 Preview: Rammus Gets a Major Makeover

by Mihaela Kicevski
June 3, 2025
Patch Notes

Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.01.1 Brings Solo Mode Perks and Bug Fixes

by Margarita Kicevski
June 2, 2025
News

Elden Ring Nightreign 1.02 Update Brings Auto-Revive and More Runes for Solo Players

by Mihaela Kicevski
May 30, 2025

About Us

We are CPG - Console & PC Gaming, an independent, family-run website providing fresh news, updates, reviews, interviews, guides, and other bits and pieces from the gaming industry.

Read more

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2024 CPG - Console & PC Gaming

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • PC
  • PS5
  • Xbox
  • Switch
  • Mobile
  • Reviews
  • Guides
    • Deadlock Hero Guides
    • Gray Zone Warfare Guides
      • Artisan
      • Banshee
      • Gunny
      • Handshake
      • Lab Rat
      • Turncoat
    • Escape From Tarkov Guides
      • Jaeger
      • Mechanic
      • Peacekeeper
      • Prapor
      • Ragman
      • Skier
      • Therapist

© 2024 CPG - Console & PC Gaming