Xbox fans, and some of their employees, were blindsided earlier this month when Microsoft announced a number of their studios were being shuttered, including the “gut stab” closure of Arkane Austin, developer of the acclaimed Prey and the more troubled Redfall. Following the announcement Arkane Austin was shutting up shop, it was reported that the team had been working on additional updates for Redfall, including one that would deliver a long-promised offline mode. Unfortunately, at the time, it seemed unlikely any of these promised updates would come to fruition.
Well, thankfully, it seems there’s a glint of light amongst the darkness here, as it seems the Redfall team will indeed get to complete one last update, which will usher in that offline mode, single-player pausing, revamps to how enemies spawn, and more. Here’s what the Redfall X account had to say on the matter…
“Thank you for all your supportive messages. We are working to release our final update, Game Update 4, that brings revamped Neighborhood and Nest systems, Single Player Pausing, Offline Mode, and more. We’ll provide additional details soon. Thank you all.”
The shuttering of Arkane Austin is just part of wider change and turmoil going on at Xbox, which has included widespread layoffs, the closure of other studios like Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, flatling Xbox Series sales, and the porting of some older games, and possibly even some top-of-the-line titles, to other platforms. On the other hand, Microsoft now owns Call of Duty and it seems they’re planning to bring the blockbuster series to Game Pass, so they’re far from out of the game. As for Arkane themselves, their main team in Lyon, France will continue onward as they’re working on a Blade game for Marvel.
Redfall can be played on PC and Xbox Series X/S. There’s no official word on when the final update will arrive, but previous rumors stated it was being prepared to launch sometime in May.
