The Disaster of Redfall

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The popularity of multiplayer experiences such as Overwatch and Fortnite awoke in the gaming industry a sudden interest in live-service endeavors capable of generating recurring revenue streams. Even publishers and developers that seldom dabbled in online titles wanted a share of the spoils. However, as with several other trends in the multibillion-dollar business, pursuing these ends often proves a gamble—this ZeniMax Media and its subsidiaries learned the hard way upon releasing Redfall.

Developed by Arkane’s Austin, Texas branch, the team behind Dishonored and Prey, Redfall promised an open-world, co-op adventure with “capitalistic vampires” as the antagonists. The game tasked players with beating back the supernatural threat by using specialized weapons, stakes, and abilities. But at launch, greedy bloodsuckers hardly seemed the primary cause for concern. Day-one adopters on PC and Xbox consoles found the experience beset by copious technical errors affecting performance, enemy AI, texture pop-ins, character animations, and multiplayer connectivity. Worst still, while it could host up to four players, the cooperative shooter lacked matchmaking functionality. The storied Arkane Austin lost years of established goodwill in a matter of days, and Redfall’s player-base rapidly dwindled alongside it.

Fans and non-fans of the Dishonored creator wasted no time blaming Redfall’s failures on the fact that an outfit best known for story-centric immersive sims had tried its hand at conquering unfamiliar territory. Meanwhile, executives at parent company Xbox Game Studios stood before the slings and arrows, ready to accept the lion’s share of fault for the disappointing launch. The truth is—nothing is ever as simple as it seems when it comes to game development.

This is the tragedy of Redfall.

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