Today marks the official release of Redfall’s last update, which brings the game to a sad and premature end.
Redfall didn’t really impress when it dropped earlier this year, but for those few gamers who are still hanging on, this new update actually does provide some exciting features. Arkane has added a “Community Standing” system that lets you progress through six different ranks of various buffs by completing missions, unlocking Safehouses, and saving citizens. There are also a substantial number of smaller changes, like the new Elder Nests that serve as boss battles, new enemies and weapons, and improvements to the game’s lackluster AI. Plus there’s an added “Story Mode” difficulty setting to help players relax while vanquishing vampires.
Of course, this update also adds an offline mode to the game, so whenever the Redfall servers go offline, people can still keep playing. Microsoft recently announced the closure of Arkane Austin, along with three other studios, in a brutal move that’s still a bit hard to understand. It’s not the first time Microsoft has made aggressive cuts this year – in January alone the company announced it would be laying off 1,900 employees.
Arkane included a brief message in the patch notes, writing, “We’re thankful for the millions of players who have joined us. From everyone at Arkane Austin, thank you for playing our games and loving our worlds, it’s been an honor to deliver these experiences to you.”
Redfall won’t be getting its planned DLC, and presumably, we won’t be seeing anything else from Arkane Austin. Redfall wasn’t the studio’s greatest success and really had some genuine problems, but it’s still hard to see a studio go down like this.
