A senior Xbox executive has offered a positive perspective on the negative reception of Redfall, referring to the backlash as an example of the passionate "love" from the fandom. This unique viewpoint comes shortly after another industry insider revealed that many developers of Redfall had expressed dissatisfaction with the game's overall state and had wanted Microsoft to cancel it.
Initially hailed as one of Microsoft's highly anticipated game releases for 2023, Redfall ultimately failed to meet expectations. Despite its launch on May 2, the game quickly lost a significant number of players within weeks due to widespread criticism from both critics and players.
And while Xbox Head Phil Spencer publicly expressed his disappointment with the launch of Redfall, another executive from the C-suite has recently provided a more positive perspective on the game's initial reception. During a recent interview with CNN, Sarah Bond, the Head of Xbox Creator Experience, interpreted the negative reactions to Redfall as a reflection of the fandom's "passion." Expanding on this viewpoint, Bond suggested that the criticism towards the shooter highlights the deep emotional investment that Xbox fans have in the company's games. She explained that she sees these negative reactions as an expression of love towards the brand, referring specifically to the type of response that Redfall received.
Despite the disappointment of Redfall, the gaming division of Microsoft is looking promising in the second half of 2023. With the announcement of titles like Starfield and others at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, fans of the company have much to anticipate in the coming months. It is worth noting that this lineup of games was not created overnight; Microsoft took years to build its game portfolio. Therefore, it is natural that a less successful game like Redfall would eventually be released.
Even though Redfall was already well into development when Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media, the holding company of Arkane, in 2021, the tech giant is still fully supportive of Arkane's efforts to improve the shooter. The first significant step in this direction was the release of the 1.1 update for Redfall on June 12. This update addressed a wide range of technical issues and introduced enhancements to the game's combat mechanics, enemy AI, and environment design, among other aspects.
Redfall is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: CNN
