Disastrous Xbox Game Pass Game from 2023 Might Be Worth Another Look

The gaming industry is no stranger to receiving terrible game launches, but some believe one Xbox Game Pass title from 2023 deserves to be revisited. Redfall was announced during the Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 showcase as an FPS from developer Arkane Austin, set in an open world that features both single-player and co-op multiplayer modes. Redfall‘s premise saw a union of vampires terrorizing an isolated town after a scientific experiment went wrong, and players could choose to pilot one of four survivors to slay them.

As an internal team with ZeniMax under Arkane Studios, Arkane Austin was shut down by Microsoft which the company founder deemed “stupid.” The studio closed in May 2024, which terminated further development on Redfall while the devs were working on the delayed Hero Pass content. The closure resulted in over 90 job losses and came as a shock to employees, who shared layoffs alongside Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and more.

Marvel’s Blade Could Benefit From a Redfall-Like Mode

Redfall was a pretty notorious disappointment, but Arkane’s upcoming Marvel’s Blade could make great use of a similar kind of co-op mode.

Posted on Reddit by Odin_Fellson, the user asked, “Why did this fail?” in the Xbox Game Pass subreddit, noting they had sunk 5 hours into Redfall and were enjoying it. The user stated they were “positively surprised” by the art design that felt “refreshing.” Redfall released its final update in May 2024, and Redditors noted that the current version of the game is the best it’s going to get. Most responded saying the original poster was playing Redfall after a year’s worth of patches and improvements, which has rendered the game much more playable for newcomers and could be a fun experience with friends now that many of the bugs and unsatisfactory elements have been patched.

Redfall Fan Reckons the Failed FPS Has Potential

Redfall refunds began to roll out after a disastrous launch, gaining mostly negative reviews from Steam users, and went on to generate minimal sales across PC and Xbox consoles. Critics and gamers criticized the game’s enemy AI, general world design, and the plague of performance issues hindering gameplay. Microsoft boss Phil Spencer went on record apologizing for the game’s shortcomings and admitted a delay would not have saved the title’s lack of creative vision. However, two years after its failure to impress, some imply Redfall deserves another chance.

Gamers believe Redfall is one of several Bethesda games that Amazon should adapt into a television series, following the critical success of Fallout. Since Redfall is set in the titular Massachusetts town, fans think an action-packed vampire series, following the horror unleashed within a contained setting, would be an intriguing premise that could flourish in live-action. Other games on Bethesda fans’ wish list to be adapted include the Wolfenstein series, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and The Evil Within.