Redfall Developers Push for Cancellation

According to a recent report, Redfall developers had expressed their desire for Microsoft to scrap the game even before its release. Redfall, which hit the market in May 2023, failed to impress critics and gamers alike, garnering negative to mixed reviews and earning the dubious distinction of being one of the worst AAA games of 2023.

Redfall's Xbox Series X version has a paltry score of 56 on Metacritic, while its PC counterpart fares even worse with a rating of 54. The game's user score is even more dismal, with the Xbox Series X and PC versions receiving player ratings of 3.5 and 2.1, respectively, on Metacritic. Redfall was rife with issues that frustrated players, leading to it being bombarded with negative reviews on Steam. The report suggests that the game's developers had hoped that Microsoft would pull the plug on the project.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Redfall was initially designed as a multiplayer game by ZeniMax, with a significant emphasis on live service features. The report cites several reasons for the game's launch struggles, including a lack of clear direction and a shortage of development staff. During the game's final stages, around 70% of the team that had previously worked on Prey had left Arkane Austin, making it challenging to fill vacant positions.

Following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax in 2021, some staff members reportedly hoped that Redfall would be canceled or redeveloped as a single-player game. However, the report suggests that Microsoft maintained a hands-off approach, allowing ZeniMax studios to operate as usual. Bloomberg also notes that Microsoft canceled the PlayStation version of Redfall, making it an exclusive title for Xbox Series X and PC.

The report contains a wealth of additional information, including details of significant microtransaction plans that were ultimately abandoned in 2021. While originally intended as a live service game, it seems that a number of other factors also contributed to Redfall's disappointing launch, with staff shortages being a particularly significant issue. Despite being available on Xbox Game Pass at no additional cost, Redfall has already fallen out of the top 50 most-played games on Xbox consoles just one month after its release. Despite its focus on co-op gameplay, it appears that users are simply not interested in playing the game. The situation is no better on Steam, where only 73 players are currently active on Redfall according to SteamDB.

Redfall is out now PC and Xbox Series X/S.