A big update for Redfall was being worked on at Arkane Austin before the Bethesda studio was recently closed down by Microsoft. The game had a disastrous launch last year but Arkane Austin and Xbox committed to improving the game. It turns out that the next update would’ve marked the beginning of at least 18 months of post-launch support, though that’s not happening anymore.
As revealed by IGN, Arkane Austin had been quietly working on a big update for Redfall via the Hero Pass, which would’ve added two new characters to the vampire co-op shooter along with a number of fixes and improvements. The update was scheduled to arrive this Halloween but after Microsoft shut Arkane Austin’s doors yesterday in a round of studio cuts and closures, it looks like the update is no longer in the works.
Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty sent out an email yesterday announcing the closure of not only Arkane Austin but Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks too, among other Bethesda subsidiaries like Alpha Dog Studios. Roundhouse Games will also be absorbed into ZeniMax Online Studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online.
Despite launching in a rough state, many felt that Redfall, like No Man’s Sky or Cyberpunk 2077, had the potential to bounce back with continued updates. A year after its release, it seems like no substantial updates were made to the game beyond a handful of patches. Tragically, Redfall players eagerly awaiting the Hero Pass update will not be getting it anymore.
In related news, Arkane Lyon’s Dinga Bakaba, the director of Deathloop, openly criticised Microsoft after the studio cuts. “Permission to be human: to any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you,” said Bakaba in an excerpt from his tweet.
Source: IGN
