Arkane is responsible for some of the best games in modern history, but their legacy was cemented and finalized with Redfall. Even after diligently working until their final moments before closure, Redfall never received the love that it should have. Recent reports make it seem we can thank Bethesda for that.
a Bark Much Worse Than It’s Bite
From the moment it was introduced to the world in its E3 2021 trailer, Redfall did not seem to be your typical Arkane production. Its focus on multiplayer and live-service elements was a far cry from the Dishonored and Prey of its former self. In an interview with PC Gamer, founder of the former Arkane studio Raphael Colantonio mentioned;
“All I can tell you is that part of the reason why I left Bethesda was that they did not want to do the kind of games that we wanted to make”
Arkane has brought many brilliant games onto the market, but none of them were the commercial darlings that Bethesda had anticipated. That’s how we ended up with what was likely their lowest-selling game of all time, Redfall. Sometimes, you just need to let the development team keep cooking with games they are confident making and love making.
To be fair, as mentioned above, the team at Arkane Austin tried their best to redeem Redfall by adding a plethora of updates before its closure in May 2024. A 60 FPS option was added to consoles, alongside a proper single-player mode, the ability to pause, and plenty of other fixes. Unfortunately, the damage was already done, and Redfall was dead before dawn.
It’s hard to know if Redfall would have succeeded in any version. Maybe if it was developed as a purely single-player affair it would have faired better. Reading through the final update notes hurts, as you can tell they poured their heart and souls into trying to make Redfall more than what it was.
What Have We Learned From ‘Redfall’ and It’s Failure?
After seeing Fallout 76 successfully pivot itself back on course, could Redfall have had the same success with more time? It’s something we’ll unfortunately never know, as the studio behind it has since been closed. The possibility of further updates and a PS5 version could have saved its reputation. Seeing as Microsoft is more devoted than ever regarding multiplatform releases, could Redfall have had a redemption arc?
It’s doubtful, but possible. The online hype machine defeated Redfall before it earned its wings.
The post It All Makes Sense; ‘Redfall’ Was a Corporate Mistake Instead of an Arkane Passion Piece appeared first on VICE.
The post It All Makes Sense; ‘Redfall’ Was a Corporate Mistake Instead of an Arkane Passion Piece appeared first on VICE.
