Summary
In an announcement made on May 7, Xbox stated that it is ending all development onRedfall. In the same memo, Xbox also announced the closure of Arkane Austin, the developer of the game.Redfall’s developer wasn’t the only studio shut down, as several others are also shutting their doors.
Redfallhas had a tumultuous existence since its launch, with critics and players complaining about broken AI and the quality of cutscenes. The player count for the game has been extremely low since its launch, withSteam numbers forRedfallas low as 36 after a big update.
In aninternal email shared by IGN, head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty announced thatseveral Microsoft-owned studios were shutting down, following a concerning trend of closures and layoffs throughout the industry. Included in those closures was Arkane Austin, the studio in charge ofRedfall’s development. Booty put the blame on the cuts for a “reprioritization of titles and resources.” “Redfall’s previous update will be its last as we end all development on the game,” stated Booty. All planned DLC content forRedfallhas been canceled. Those who paid for the Hero DLC, which was included in the $99.99 “Bite Back Edition” of the game, will be getting “make good offers,” as mentioned by Booty. What those offers are, however, is yet to be known.
Players Who Purchased Redfall’s Canceled DLC Will Receive “Make Good Offers”
On Steam,Redfallhas been averaging around 36 players a day. Booty mentioned that “The game and its servers will remain online for players to enjoy.” in the internal email. The game was released on Jul 20, 2025, with a peak player count on Steam of 1,560. In June 2023, Booty claimed thatRedfallwas getting “good play” on Xbox Game Pass, but the exact numbers are not known to the public. “It was a miss, but how much of a miss? I want to support them to be able to keep working to deliver the game they had in mind,” Booty claimed. “I feel accountable that we could have done a better job with Arkane,” said Booty,echoing comments made by Xbox CEO Phil Spencer regardingRedfall.
Over 9,500 games industry jobs were lost in 2024, from January to May, with over 10,000 lost in 2023. Several studios have already had layoffs, withRelic Entertainment being another recent example of jobs being cut.
Redfall
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover the truth, take back Redfall: The island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the citizens off from the outside world. Ally with a handful of survivors against the creatures threatening to bleed the town dry.Slay alone or squad up: Venture into the darkness alone or to squad-up for up to four player co-op. Teammates can try different loadouts and combine their strengths to find creative solutions to the vampire apocalypse that suit their playstyle.Unconventional heroes versus the night: Choose from a team of diverse heroes – each with their own character-specific abilities – to overcome the vampire legion and their brood of maniacal followers.The open world of Redfall: Redfall is a true Arkane experience in a rich world that blends the familiar with the extraordinary. Fight through cultist outposts and supernatural psychic spaces as you piece together Redfall’s many mysteries.
