Microsoft has closed Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush, Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Games, leaving all of their staff members without a job. Prior to this announcement, Arkane Austin was working on some updates for Redfall, including an offline mode, and was even developing new content for the game. Fans had been requesting an offline mode for Redfall for some time, and many had hoped that Arkane would finally deliver on this feature with the next update. Unfortunately, all of that work will now go to waste, as the studio will no longer be operational.
Although Microsoft has stated that the game will remain online, this could change if the servers are ever taken offline. In that case, Redfall will become unavailable to play, which is sure to disappoint fans of the game. Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios, also promised to “make good” offers to those who had pre-purchased the Hero DLC.
Redfall was met with negative reviews upon launch, with Xbox head Phil Spencer admitting that the company had “let a lot of people down”. However, he also confirmed that Bethesda and Arkane remain “absolutely” committed to supporting Redfall going forward, and he would “totally bet on [Arkane] making another great game”. Bethesda’s head of global publishing, Pete Hines, echoed these sentiments, stating that they were going to get Redfall to be a good game.
These studio closures are not a reflection on the talent of the people who worked there, but are simply a way to free up resources for other parts of Microsoft’s portfolio. Booty explained that the company is making these tough decisions to increase investment in other areas and to focus on their priority games
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