Redfall previews are live online now, and the initial reactions have been good. IGN France managed to bring up an interesting topic in their time with Harvey Smith, creative director of Redfall, asking about Arkane’s acquisition by Microsoft. Smith said that following the acquisition, “we got bought out by Microsoft and it was a change with a capital C. They came in and said ‘no PlayStation 5, we’re focusing on Xbox, PC and Game Pass’.” This is a translation provided by Google from the original French, which we’re reasonably confident in.
Microsoft acquired Redfall developers Arkane Studios, and their parent company ZeniMax Media, back in March 2021. As Redfall was first shown at E3 2021, it’s safe to assume that the PS5 version had probably seen substantial work done to it. It’s hardly a huge surprise, given that we know other major games from ZeniMax Media like Bethesda’s Starfield also aren’t coming to the PS5, but it’s interesting to have it stated explicitly that Microsoft was so clear in ensuring there is no PS5 release for these games.
Smith went further, saying that he actually found the decision to be beneficial to Redfall in some regards. Given the game would be put on Game Pass, it will have the opportunity to reach a huge audience. Additionally, dropping the PS5 version gives the developers at Arkane “one less platform to worry about, one less complexity.” Redfall will be releasing on Xbox, PC and Game Pass on May 2.
How unsurprised are you to hear that Redfall was originally headed to PS5? Have the previews released today sold you on the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more gaming news.
