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[IGN] Arkane Austin Was Working on a Big Redfall Update for May Before Microsoft Ditched the Game and Closed the Studio

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Oct 25, 2017
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The now abandoned Redfall had a roadmap of support that was being actively worked on before Microsoft scrapped all development and closed its developer, IGN can reveal.

Arkane Austin was working on DLC and updates for the game with the expectation they would release until very recently, IGN understands, suggesting Microsoft's internal announcement today that it was closing the developer as well as Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks came as a shock to staff.
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IGN was told that the now canceled Hero Pass content, which was set to add two new characters to the vampire co-op shooter, was scheduled for release this Halloween. If it had come out, the Hero Pass would have marked a year-and-a-half of post-launch support for a game that had suffered a disastrous launch and an ever-shrinking playerbase.

Reached by IGN, representatives for Xbox and Bethesda declined to comment.
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However, there is now fresh concern that the always-online Redfall could become unplayable if and when Microsoft shuts its servers off. In March last year, ahead of Redfall's release, Arkane Austin said it was working on a fix that would reverse Redfall's always-online requirement, an aspect that was met with backlash when first announced.

In an interview with Eurogamer, game director Harvey Smith said: "We listen. And we have already started work to address this in the future. We have to do some things like encrypt your save games and do a bunch of UI work to support it. And so we are looking into — I'm not supposed to promise anything — but we're looking into and working actively toward fixing that in the future."
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However, the offline mode failed to materialize. IGN understands Redfall's May update would have added the ability to play offline, which in turn would have helped with keeping the game alive in the future. Unfortunately for players, it will never see the light of day.
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www.ign.com

Arkane Austin Was Working on a Big Redfall Update for May Before Microsoft Ditched the Game and Closed the Studio - IGN

The now abandoned Redfall had a roadmap of support that was being actively worked on before Microsoft scrapped all development and closed its developer, IGN can reveal.
www.ign.com www.ign.com
 
Jawmuncher

Jawmuncher

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The team working on a game they didn't even want to make truly was trying to get it in the place they wanted and Xbox even denied them that.

The fact they cut the support before the Offline Update (Which would've at least made the game infinitely playable in the future and part of the Game Pass Catalog with no Server Needed) stings as well. Really speaks of the choices being to appease shareholders and no one else.

Everything about the Xbox news today has been ridiculous.
 
CupOfDoom

CupOfDoom

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Dec 17, 2017
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They couldn't even give the studio a couple more weeks to update the game one last time?

Were already a week into May. That update must've been very close to complete
 
Jawmuncher

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The no offline mode is a big Fuck You, especially after Xbox saying Preservation was an important thing for them.

Not very important when you can't even let the people making your game playable forever just finish their damn patch before letting them go and canceling all content.
 
GlitchyDegree

GlitchyDegree

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All that hard work from Arkane Austin thrown away at the literal last second. Fuck Microsoft.
 
Lukar

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I haven't even played the game yet, and hearing that they canned the update that fucking shortly before it was going to release pisses me off. And that's before factoring in that it was cancelled because some heartless executives decided to axe the studio.

Someone needs to, at the very least, salvage that work and complete it. If it was going to release this month, it has to be close to being done.
 
Lowrys

Lowrys

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Cross posting this:

From almost EXACTLY a year ago today:
"And we didn't do a good job early on in engaging Arkane Austin to really help them understand what it meant to be part of Xbox and part of first-party, and use some of our internal resources to help them move along that journey even faster. We left them to work on the game… they're a very talented team – I love that team, and I still do, and I will totally bet on them to do another great game.
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*shuts studio*
 
Jawmuncher

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Lukar said:
I haven't even played the game yet, and hearing that they canned the update that fucking shortly before it was going to release pisses me off. And that's before factoring in that it was cancelled because some heartless executives decided to axe the studio.

Someone needs to, at the very least, salvage that work and complete it. If it was going to release this month, it has to be close to being done.
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I agree. I doubt they'll do anything but whatever was about to release should see the light of day.
My only guess is they don't want to be accountable for any glitches a new update might cause but it's not like that has stopped them in other capacities before.
 
Granjinhaa

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Wild that a big update was actually slated for this month, with an OFFLINE mode alongside it, and they just canned it. Fucking trashfire of management needs to go.
 
HK-47

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The fact that the makers of Prey are dead because they were forced to make this is upsetting.
 
Papercuts

Papercuts

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But Phil Spencer was VERY sad to do this, everyone!

God awful management by a godawful company that is run by ghouls.
 
Azerth

Azerth

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ofc they were and ms just couldnt let give them the time to put it out
 
Dyle

Dyle

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Madness that anyone would think it was acceptable to sell a DLC expansion that wouldn't release for nearly 18 months
 
Shryke

Shryke

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Holy shit! That is disheartening. So there was gonna be a offline mode after all :(
 
Sydle

Sydle

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They were still working on Redfall?! I thought it was more or less handed to a support studio to finish up, while the Austin team moved on to the next thing. Or maybe that was just my hopes.

The issues with Redfall are core to the game's design. The Arkane team just didn't have experience with the type of game they were trying to build. Zenimax should not have put them in that situation. And MS should have been more hands on post-acquistion to check in with the team and course correct sooner.

Damn. Hopefully folks land on their feet quickly.
 
Servbot24

Servbot24

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Oct 25, 2017
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Updating Redfall was probably a waste of time tbh. But the studio should have been allowed to move on and make something else.
 
Fisty

Fisty

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Game is relatively stable now, might as well can it before adding a bunch of stuff

MS defies expectations again
 
Caiusto

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vestan said:
MCC and Sea of Thieves were back when MS were hurting for games. They can afford to get away with canning shit that aren't immediate successes now. Zenimax/Bethesda under Altman couldn't really do that.
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Both MCC and TES:O were released in 2014, both Sea of Thieves and Fallout 76 were released in 2018. Both Xbox games got the time needed to get them to a good state.
 
Jawmuncher

Jawmuncher

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vestan said:
I see this and I'm convinced that Fallout 76 and ESO never would've been able to bounce back had these games been made under Microsoft. They would have pulled the plug instantly.


View: https://twitter.com/bogorad222/status/1771718929393528975
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These tweets I really liked today that related

View: https://x.com/JonComms/status/1787850020596654409


View: https://x.com/Cromwelp/status/1787843781468766224


View: https://x.com/drjclau/status/1787879206149636503

So much of BIG GAMING is focused on the short term..
Not realizing that the greatest strength comes from letting things grow.
 
therealmoonface

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They had an extra year after launch and a game delay to get the game where they wanted, eventually you have to cut your losses. Sucks all around.
 
vestan

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Caiusto said:
Both MCC and TES:O were released in 2014, both Sea of Thieves and Fallout 76 were released in 2018. Both Xbox games got the time needed to get them to a good state.
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Both games from premier studios back when they only had five internal studios. Feels like you're ignoring this crucial piece of context. They've done it before yes, but current Microsoft will not give every game that same grace knowing there's two dozen or so studios that are ready to pick up the slack. We're seeing this as we speak with Redfall. Why not give Austin, one of their most prestigious and beloved studios the opportunity to turn the tides?
 
Caiusto

Caiusto

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vestan said:
Both games from premier studios back when they only had five internal studios. Feels like you're ignoring this crucial piece of context. Current Microsoft will not give every game that same grace knowing there's two dozen or so studios that are ready to pick up the slack.
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Well yeah, current Microsoft is a different thing, but you're moving goalposts and timelines to better fit your narrative so whatever.
 
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