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Redfall
DeveloperArkane Austin[a]
PublisherBethesda Softworks
Directors
ProducerBen Horne
DesignerMichael Hutchison
ProgrammerStevan Hird
Artists
  • Karen Welford Segars
  • Nathan Wells
  • Frederick Nolting
Writers
  • Ricardo Bare
  • Hazel Monforton
  • Evan Narcisse
  • Abigail Tyson-Knost
  • Steve Powers
  • Robin Todd
ComposerJongnic Bontemps
EngineUnreal Engine 4[1]
Platforms
ReleaseMay 2, 2023
GenreFirst-person shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Redfall is a first-person shooter video game developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on May 2, 2023.[2][3] The game received mixed reviews, with criticism for its gameplay design, story, and technical problems.

Gameplay

[edit]

Redfall is an open world first-person shooter video game that features both single-player and cooperative multiplayer modes.[2][4] Players can choose among four playable characters – each with unique backgrounds and abilities – to fight against vampires as well as human enemies within the game.[4][5][6]

The playable area is split into two in-game maps, District 1 and District 2. A large component of Redfall's gameplay loop is weapon/gear looting and rarity. Players are rewarded with better gear upon leveling up, exploring, and completing quest objectives.[7]

Story

[edit]

Setting

[edit]

The game is set within the fictional island town of Redfall, Massachusetts. After a failed scientific experiment, a legion of vampires occupied the isolated town and cut off communication to the outside world. Trapped inside Redfall, players must choose among four unique survivors – fame-seeking cryptozoologist inventor Devinder Crousley, telekinetic student Layla Ellison, combat engineer Remi de la Rosa, and former US military special forces sniper veteran turned supernatural private military company operator of Bellwether Security Jacob Boyer – and slay their enemies: vampires and human collaborators/cultists alike.[2]

Plot

[edit]

The island town of Redfall is secretly infiltrated by a group of vampires. It becomes a full-scale invasion as the vampires begin devouring the people of Redfall openly in the streets. Some of the townspeople, including four vampire hunters, attempt to escape the town by boat, but the vampires cast a spell that erects an impassable wall of water around the island, trapping Redfall's surviving population, along with creating a permanent eclipse to blot out the sun, so the vampires can move freely throughout the island. The vampire hunters return to the town and liberate the local fire station, turning it into their headquarters and a safe haven for survivors. They then venture out into the town to kill vampires, fight the human cultists who worship them, and discover the source of the vampirism.

They learn that vampires were created by Dr. Peter Addison, a scientist working at Aevum Therapeutics, a scientific research group which has a lab on the island. Addison used an experimental procedure to become a vampire god known as the "Hollow Man" and began to spread vampirism across the island. Investigating the Hollow Man's home, the vampire hunters discover, to their horror, that the Hollow Man experimented on his own daughter, trying to cure her illness. They use the Hollow Man's radio broadcasts and psychic echoes to track him down to his lair, where they kill him. With the Hollow Man dead, the island's radios begin to work again, allowing the vampire hunters to contact other survivors on the island.

The vampire hunters hear a distress call from the Redfall Maritime Center and head over to liberate it, making it their second survivor haven. There, they learn that there are two more vampire gods, Bloody Tom and Miss Whisper, present in the area. They investigate a Bellwether Security outpost and discover Bloody Tom and Miss Whisper's identities as Thomas Kildere and Alice Young, also former Aevum researchers. They investigate Bloody Tom and Miss Whisper's psychic spaces to find out their pasts, and find out Bloody Tom left his ill father to die so he could focus on his research while Miss Whisper experimented on her own patients. The vampire hunters track down both vampire gods to their lairs and eliminate them.

With the death of Bloody Tom and Miss Whisper, there is one remaining vampire god, the Black Sun, who is responsible for the eclipse over Redfall. The vampire hunters receive a psychic summons from Charles Beck, one of the founders of Aevum, who is now forcibly transformed into the vampiric beast and figurative bloodbag for the vampire gods, Bloodbag Chuck. Bloodbag Chuck reveals that the Black Sun is his sister Claire, and sends the vampire hunters into his own psychic realm to find the clues needed to destroy her. Inside, they find out that Charles and Claire obtained a girl they called the Gateway from billionaire investor Elias Kurz, whose unique healing blood they used for experiments. When Aevum was on the verge of being investigated, Claire, Addison, Young, and Kildere sacrificed the Gateway to turn themselves into the vampire gods while Claire murdered Charles and turned him into Bloodbag Chuck to keep him quiet.

The vampire hunters mercy kill Bloodbag Chuck and confront the Black Sun, who reveals she manipulated them into killing the other vampire gods, who had become her rivals. After a heated battle, the vampire hunters defeat and kill the Black Sun, and are greeted by the spirit of the Gateway, Grace. She thanks the vampire hunters for eliminating the people who took advantage of her. With the Black Sun dead, the eclipse ends and sunlight returns to Redfall, killing most of the remaining vampires. The remaining Redfall survivors stage a counterattack, killing more vampires and forcing their cultists to flee into the wilderness. The spell isolating Redfall from the outside world also begins to wear off. However, not all of the vampires have been slain, and a few escape to fight another day.

Development

[edit]

Redfall was announced during the Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 showcase on June 13, 2021.[8][9] The game was developed by Arkane Studios at their Austin, Texas locations,[2][6][10] with Roundhouse Studios providing additional assistance and support.[11] Co-Creative Director Ricardo Bare stated that the game will continue Arkane's tradition of making each game different from the last, but will still focus on deep worldbuilding and inventive game mechanics.[5] On May 12, 2022, it was announced that the release was delayed to the first half of 2023.[12] Redfall released on May 2, 2023.[13] At launch, 60 FPS was not available on the console versions of the game, with it being added months later in October 2023.[14]

The PlayStation 5 version was cancelled after Microsoft acquired Bethesda Softworks.[15]

In May 2024, Microsoft Gaming President of Game Content & Studios Matt Booty announced that all development on Redfall would come to an end with the closure of Arkane Austin. Xbox will also compensate players who paid for the Hero DLC.[16] On May 30, the developers released one final update that would revamp the Neighborhood and Nest systems, while adding single player pausing and an offline mode.[17]

Reception

[edit]

Redfall received "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[18][19]

PCGamesN disliked the story, writing that the game failed in "making me care about its characters. It's all just a bit basic."[32] VG247 felt that only tying progress to the host was a mistake, "dooming their guests to play through the same missions again should they want to play in solo".[35] While enjoying the gunplay, GamesRadar+ criticized the repetitiveness of the campaign: "There are always going to be vampires to be staked, something to be blown up, keys to be found, or items to be collected – it's just a case of which version of the mission structure it'll be."[26] IGN called the game "an undercooked looter-shooter by every metric" and that the game is a "bafflingly bad time across the board. Plagued with bland missions, boneheaded enemies, and repeated technical problems, Redfall simply wasn't ready for daylight."[28] The Verge was also critical, saying the game "feels unpolished, underdone, underwhelming, and uncomfortable. I am glad I do not have to play this anymore."[38]

The game received mostly negative user reviews on Steam upon its launch, with users criticizing its enemy artificial intelligence, world design, and performance issues.[39][40]

Phil Spencer, the chief executive officer of Microsoft Gaming, apologized for the game, stating "I'm disappointed. I'm upset with myself" and that delaying the game would not have helped as "the game isn't realizing the creative vision that it had for its players."[41]

Sales

[edit]

According to Microsoft, Redfall had generated "minimum sales".[42]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Redfall

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Redfall is a developed by Arkane Austin and published by . Released on May 2, 2023, for Microsoft Windows and Series X/S, it combines single-player and cooperative multiplayer elements in an open-world setting overrun by vampires. The game is available day-one on for console, cloud, and PC. Set in the fictional coastal town of Redfall, , the story revolves around a vampire apocalypse triggered by a failed scientific experiment at Laboratories, which unleashed bloodthirsty creatures and their human cult followers upon the isolated island community. Players assume the role of one of four specialized survivors—Layla Ellison ( with telekinetic abilities), Remi De La Rosa ( accompanied by her robotic companion), Devinder Crousley (a cryptid hunter with gadgets), or Jacob Boyer (a former Marine sniper with enhancements)—each bringing unique skills to battle the supernatural threats. The narrative explores themes of survival, uncovering the town's dark secrets through environmental storytelling and side activities amid gothic, small-town Americana aesthetics. Gameplay emphasizes player choice in an expansive, non-linear world divided into districts like the dense urban core and rural outskirts, where objectives can be approached via stealth, direct , or creative use of abilities and environment. As a looter-shooter, it incorporates weapon customization, skill progression, and nest-clearing missions to disrupt vampire strongholds, supporting seamless transitions between solo play and up to four-player co-op without predefined roles. Vampires range from basic minions to god-like overlords with distinct behaviors, encouraging varied tactics like staking, UV light exposure, or heart extraction. Developed by Arkane Austin—the studio behind acclaimed titles like Prey (2017) and —Redfall marked the team's first foray into co-op open-world design, blending elements with horror-action. Initially launched with technical issues and mixed reviews criticizing AI, mission variety, and performance ( scores of 56/100 for Series X/S and 53/100 for PC), the game received post-launch updates through 2024, including Game Update 4 which added offline mode, pausing in single-player, improved nests, and performance enhancements like 60 FPS and DLSS 3 support. However, following Microsoft's closure of Arkane Austin in May 2024 amid broader layoffs, further development and planned DLC like Bite Back were canceled, ending official support for the title. By 2025, Redfall remains playable with its fixes but has not seen additional content, contributing to its legacy as a troubled yet ambitious experiment in cooperative vampire hunting.

Gameplay

Core mechanics

Redfall is an that integrates stealth, direct shooting, and ability usage in combat against vampires and their cultist allies. Players navigate the vampire-overrun town using a mix of conventional firearms and specialized anti-vampire tools, emphasizing tactical choices in engagement. The game supports both solo play and modes for up to four players, with independent movement in the shared open world. As of Game Update 4 in May 2024, single-player mode supports offline play and pausing, while co-op remains online. The system revolves around reducing enemy health to vulnerable states before executing permanent kills, particularly for vampires who regenerate otherwise. Standard weapons handle initial damage, while UV light-based firearms petrify vampires upon prolonged exposure, allowing players to stake their hearts for final elimination; stakes can also be launched from compatible weapons once health is sufficiently depleted. Environmental interactions enhance , such as igniting vampires with or exploiting explosive barrels, and cultists can be blinded temporarily with UV exposure. Supernatural abilities from playable characters provide additional or offensive options, blending seamlessly with shooting and stealth approaches. Exploration emphasizes scavenging in the detailed of Redfall, divided into districts like Redfall Commons and Burial Point, where players loot supplies, , and gear from and defeated foes to upgrade equipment. Safehouses serve as secure hubs unlocked via dedicated missions, offering , vendor access, and mission briefing from survivors; establishing them progresses district control and reveals more areas. Dynamic events include random civilian and "psychic spaces"—otherworldly pocket dimensions accessed through environmental anomalies—adding emergent challenges and rewards during free roam. nests, marked by blue auras on the , are procedurally generated hideouts where players must navigate tendrils, eliminate watchers to avoid alerts, and destroy a central pulsing heart within a time limit to clear the area and trapped victims, permanently weakening local presence. As of Game Update 4 in May 2024, nests were revamped with improved mechanics—failing to escape during destabilization now returns players to a safehouse rather than causing death—and new Elder Nests were added as boss-focused challenges requiring destruction of modified special hearts. Mission structure combines linear main story quests that advance the overarching campaign with optional side activities solicited by NPCs in safehouses, such as investigating anomalies or eliminating specific threats for and loot. Safehouse-specific missions focus on reclaiming neighborhoods by defeating vampires, which unlocks further content and contributes to liberation. Nest clearances function as standalone activities that can be tackled anytime, integrating into both main progression and loops to disrupt vampire spawning in uncleared zones. The perpetual setting, with a day-night cycle caused by vampires blocking the sun, heightens tension; the cycle affects enemy spawns, with more cultists during the day and vampires at night, and UV mechanics simulating daylight's lethal effect on foes; no player-controlled vehicles are available, relying instead on foot traversal and character abilities for mobility.

Characters and progression

Redfall features four playable protagonists, each with unique backgrounds, abilities, and playstyles that emphasize the game's RPG elements in a cooperative vampire-hunting setting. These heroes—Layla Ellison, Remi De La Rosa, Devinder Crousley, and Jacob Boyer—were trapped in the vampire-overrun town of Redfall and must use their specialized skills to survive and fight back. Layla Ellison is a student at Redfall Technical University who interned at the Aevum Therapeutics research facility, where experimental treatments granted her telekinetic powers. Her abilities include , a deployable psychic shield that absorbs projectiles and can explode on command (unlocked at level 2, 20-second duration, 40-second cooldown); Lift, which creates a psychic elevator to elevate herself or allies for elevated combat or traversal (unlocked at level 3, 7-second duration, 25-second cooldown); and her ultimate, Vampire Ex-Boyfriend, summoning a spectral ally named to attack enemies or heal Layla (unlocked at level 5, 20-second duration, requires Psychic Residue resource). Skill tree upgrades enhance these, such as to reduce Umbrella's cooldown or Thunderhead to make Lift deal area damage on landing. Remi De La Rosa is a brilliant and former member with a degree from MIT, who developed her robotic companion Bribón for search-and-rescue operations before the vampire outbreak. Her kit revolves around support and explosives: Siren commands Bribón to distract and damage nearby enemies (unlocked at level 2, 10-second duration, 35-second cooldown); C4 Charge deploys an for area denial (unlocked at level 3, 20-second cooldown); and her ultimate Mobilize creates a healing zone for allies (unlocked at level 5, 10-second duration, requires Psychic Residue). Upgrades in her tree include Deadly Distraction to make Siren deal more damage or Robot Rock to allow Bribón to revive downed players. Devinder Crousley, known as "Dev," is a self-taught inventor, cryptozoologist, and online influencer whose book tour brought him to Redfall just as unfolded, arming him with gadget-based tools to combat the . His abilities focus on crowd control and mobility: throws a shocking device that chains electricity between enemies (unlocked at level 2, 7-second duration, 25-second cooldown); Translocate places a relocation device for short-range (unlocked at level 3, 15-second window, 30-second cooldown); and his ultimate Blacklight emits UV light to stagger and freeze vampires (unlocked at level 5, 12-second duration, requires Psychic Residue). Tree upgrades like extend Arc Javelin's chain range or Lightning Storm add area effects to the ultimate. Jacob Boyer is an ex-special forces turned private military contractor who was deployed to Redfall on a corporate mission, gaining enhancements after an encounter with a vampire god. His stealth-oriented abilities include , summoning a bird to tag and reveal enemies through walls (unlocked at level 2, 12-second cooldown); , rendering him invisible for stealth approaches (unlocked at level 3, 10-second duration, 20-second cooldown); and his ultimate Heartstopper, a sniper shot that instantly kills or marks targets (unlocked at level 5, 10-second duration or 5 shots, requires Psychic Residue). Upgrades such as allow Raven to cloak Jacob or summon multiple ravens for his ultimate. Player progression in Redfall is driven by an RPG-style leveling system where characters gain experience points (XP) primarily from completing main and side missions, defeating vampires and cultists, clearing nests, and collecting Skulls. The maximum level is 40, with each level granting one skill point to allocate in the hero's unique ability tree, which features tiers of upgrades that enhance powers, add passives like increased or ammo capacity, and unlock synergies for co-op play. Beyond abilities, progression includes loot-based customization with weapons and gear scaled to the player's level, featuring rarity tiers from Common (white) to Legendary (gold), where higher rarities provide superior stats, perks like elemental damage, and unique modifiers. Weapons cannot be directly upgraded but are acquired through drops, vendors, or missions, encouraging constant looting to maintain power scaling against escalating enemy threats. In co-op mode, supporting up to four players, progression ties to the host's campaign while allowing independent skill trees for each participant. Teammates can revive downed allies by approaching and interacting, building a "trust meter" that unlocks shared buffs upon repeated revives. Ability synergies enhance teamwork, such as combining Remi's Siren to distract foes while tags them for Devinder's Arc Javelin to chain shocks, or using Layla's Lift to position allies for Remi's C4 explosions, fostering coordinated strategies against hordes.

Plot

Premise

Redfall is set in the fictional island town of Redfall, , a once-idyllic coastal community that has been isolated from the outside world by a legion of vampires who have conjured a perpetual eclipse to block out the sun. This apocalyptic event stems from a catastrophic biotech experiment conducted by Therapeutics, a company pursuing human through scientific means, which instead birthed immortal vampires from ordinary humans. The primary antagonists include a of vampires, ranging from basic bloodsuckers to elite vampires who command territories and possess enhanced abilities like protective shields. Complementing them are human cultists affiliated with Protection Services, a that worships the vampires and enforces their rule, as well as the overarching Gods—twisted, god-like entities originally biotech entrepreneurs who now sustain the eternal night and dominate the island's fate. Thematically, Redfall explores horror-survival amid the ruins of small-town America, where players assume the roles of resourceful survivors navigating a vampire-overrun marked by eerie quietude, abandoned homes, and makeshift resistance outposts. The lore emphasizes a rigid vampire , with lower minions serving higher echelons, contrasted against fragmented human efforts to reclaim their home through guerrilla tactics and scavenged technology.

Synopsis

Redfall's storyline unfolds in the isolated island town of Redfall, , where a catastrophic experiment at Therapeutics has unleashed a plague, blocking out the sun with an eternal eclipse and severing the town from the outside world. The narrative centers on four survivors—Devinder Crousley, a self-proclaimed cryptozoologist armed with experimental anti-vampire gadgets who arrived seeking fame but found himself ensnared by the horror; Ellison, a former Aevum intern granted telekinetic powers through the company's botched trials, driven to expose the truth behind her altered existence; Remi de la Rosa, a brilliant from the U.S. accompanied by her robot companion Bribón, motivated by a deep-seated need to protect and avenge her comrades amid the chaos; and Jacob Boyer, an ex-military haunted by his past and augmented with vampiric enhancements, including a spectral raven companion, as he grapples with redemption after being dispatched by a private security firm just as the outbreak escalated. These heroes converge in the overrun town, forming uneasy alliances with pockets of human resistance and establishing a network of safehouses to coordinate their fightback. The core narrative progresses across two primary districts—Redfall Commons in the east and the more foreboding Burial Point in the west—where the survivors methodically reclaim territory from vampire overlords and their cultist followers. In each area, they dismantle strongholds, harvesting symbolic skulls from defeated vampire lieutenants to unlock paths toward greater confrontations, while forging bonds with non-player characters who provide , resources, and personal insights into the town's unraveling. Character-specific subplots weave through these efforts: Devinder tests his inventions against the undead tide in a bid for validation; Layla confronts echoes of Aevum's corporate sins that mirror her own fractured memories; engineers solutions to safeguard allies, her technical prowess masking underlying grief from the invasion's toll; and stalks shadows with sniper precision, his internal conflict with vampiric urges fueling a quest for atonement. These threads tie personal stakes to the broader vampire menace, emphasizing themes of , ingenuity, and human resilience amid supernatural terror. As the story builds to its climax, the heroes target the four Vampire Gods—Bloody Tom, a noxious plague-bringer; Miss Whisper, a spectral manipulator of ; the Hollow Man, a multi-limbed horror; and the Black Sun, the enigmatic entity perpetuating the —through escalating battles that demand strategic exploitation of each god's vulnerabilities, informed by gathered lore and alliances. The resolution hinges on vanquishing these apex threats, restoring sunlight to Redfall and purging the bulk of the vampire infestation.

Development

Announcement and production

Redfall's development began in 2018 at Arkane Austin, a studio under (later acquired by ), as an initiative to create a multiplayer-focused game with live-service elements, including microtransactions, following the commercial underperformance of the studio's previous single-player title, Prey (2017). The project marked a departure from Arkane's traditional linear design, incorporating influences from and Prey—such as player agency, environmental storytelling, and —while adapting them to an open-world co-op structure centered on vampire hunting in a besieged coastal town. Co-creative directors Harvey Smith, the studio's director, and Ricardo Bare led the effort, drawing on their experience with mechanics to blend narrative depth with cooperative multiplayer, aiming for seamless transitions between solo and group play. The game was built using , chosen for its robustness in supporting open-world rendering and multiplayer features, allowing the team to prototype vampire behaviors and dynamic world interactions early in production. Early design emphasized a shift to open-world , contrasting Arkane Austin's prior corridor-based levels, with the theme emerging from concepts of threats in a persistent, player-influenced environment inspired by multiplayer titles like and Borderlands for pacing and loot systems. This phase involved a core team of fewer than 100 developers at the Austin studio, focusing on core loops of stealth, , and co-op synergy before expanding scope. However, the studio experienced significant turnover, with about 70% of the team that developed Prey no longer at Arkane Austin by the project's completion. Redfall was publicly announced on June 13, 2021, during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at E3, presented as Arkane Austin's inaugural open-world title and an exclusive for Xbox Series X/S and PC under Bethesda Softworks (part of Xbox Game Studios). Following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media in 2021, a planned PlayStation 5 version of the game was canceled, making Redfall an Xbox console exclusive. The reveal trailer highlighted the game's co-op FPS mechanics in a vampire-overrun setting, positioning it as a fresh evolution of Arkane's signature immersive sim heritage into broader, shared-world experiences.

Delays and launch preparation

Redfall was initially slated for a summer 2022 release as an Xbox console exclusive, but Bethesda Softworks announced on May 12, 2022, that development had been delayed to the first half of 2023 to allow the Arkane Austin team additional time to refine the game and meet quality standards. This postponement was attributed to the ambitious scope of the open-world co-op shooter, which required balancing expansive vampire-hunting mechanics with technical polish amid ongoing production challenges. A more precise launch date of May 2, 2023, for both Xbox Series X/S and PC was confirmed during Microsoft's Xbox Developer Direct presentation on January 25, 2023, emphasizing continued focus on core gameplay refinements. In the lead-up to launch, hands-on previews from media outlets in March 2023 highlighted early feedback on persistent bugs, inconsistent enemy AI behavior, and performance inconsistencies across platforms, prompting iterative adjustments by the development team. Although rumors of a closed beta circulated in late 2022, no public testing phase materialized, leaving preview sessions as the primary external input for addressing these issues before . Developers incorporated this input to mitigate launch risks, focusing on stabilizing core systems without altering the game's foundational co-op structure. Final production phases involved overcoming hurdles in balancing cooperative and single-player experiences, where enemy scaling adjusted dynamically to party size but often left solo play feeling unbalanced or overly reliant on AI companions. Optimization efforts targeted day-one compatibility with Series X/S hardware, including efforts to resolve frame-rate limitations and streaming issues inherent to the open-world . Polishing extended to audio cues for immersive encounters and visual enhancements for atmospheric lighting in Redfall's setting, culminating in Microsoft's certification process to ensure cross-platform stability.

Post-release updates and studio closure

Upon its release in May 2023, Redfall encountered significant technical challenges, including frequent bugs, subpar behaviors, and optimization problems that affected performance across platforms. These issues prompted to release initial hotfixes starting in early May 2023, such as version 1.01 on May 8, which addressed infinite loading screens, save system crashes during , and server stability. Subsequent patches, including version 1.1 and 1.11 later that month, focused on improving enemy AI navigation, fixing unresponsive behaviors, enhancing combat efficiency, and adding options like remappable controls. Throughout 2023 and into 2024, Arkane issued several major updates to refine and performance. Game Update 2 on October 6, 2023, introduced a 60 FPS Performance Mode for Xbox Series X|S, stealth takedown mechanics, increased enemy populations in open areas, and UI improvements for better visibility during aiming. Update 3, released on November 16, 2023, added the UV-powered Unrivaled , balanced AI and enemy encounters to reduce overwhelming spawns, and resolved various mission progression bugs while optimizing overall stability. A January 2024 hotfix (version 1.3.1) further tackled co-op session disconnects that caused gear and level progress loss, standardized petrification visuals, and adjusted world difficulty scaling. These patches also incorporated upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR in later implementations to boost frame rates on PC. The final update, Game Update 4, arrived on May 30, 2024, marking the end of active support with additions like Offline Mode for single-player experiences, single-player pausing, revamped Neighborhood and Elder Nest systems for deeper progression, and new enemy encounters in Redfall Commons. It included continued AI enhancements, a new Story Mode difficulty option for accessibility, a fresh , and performance boosts such as DLSS 3 Frame Generation support, alongside bug fixes for stability. On May 7, 2024, announced the closure of Arkane Austin as part of broader layoffs at Bethesda, halting all further development on Redfall just weeks before the final update's release. This decision canceled planned DLC content, including the Bite Back Edition's promised new heroes and expansions to existing characters' kits, such as additional abilities and backstory for Jacob Boyer, leaving those features unfinished. committed to keeping servers online and offering refunds or "make-good" alternatives to DLC purchasers, but no new content or patches followed. As of 2025, Redfall remains playable through Xbox Game Pass and on Steam, with its online features intact, though it receives no ongoing support or updates from Microsoft or Bethesda.

Release

Platforms and distribution

Redfall launched on May 2, 2023, exclusively for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S platforms, with no support for previous-generation consoles such as Xbox One due to its status as a next-generation exclusive lacking backward compatibility. The game was distributed digitally via Steam and the Microsoft Store (including the Xbox app on PC) for Windows users, while Xbox Series X/S players could access both digital downloads from the Microsoft Store and physical retail editions containing a Blu-ray disc. It was released simultaneously worldwide with no staggered regional launches, supporting 14 languages, with voice acting and full text support in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), and Russian, and text-only support in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Spanish (Latin America). Upon release, Redfall was priced at $69.99 USD for the standard edition, with premium editions like the Bite Back Upgrade available for additional content such as weapon skins and future expansions (though the latter were later canceled). Its inclusion in from day one provided subscribers immediate access without upfront purchase, broadening distribution through Microsoft's subscription model and enabling cross-play between PC and . A version, initially in development, was canceled following Microsoft's 2021 acquisition of to maintain and PC exclusivity. As of 2025, Redfall remains available for purchase digitally on and the , as well as through physical copies where stock persists, and continues to be streamable and playable via Ultimate, unaffected by the 2024 closure of developer Arkane Austin. Periodic sales have reduced the price below its launch MSRP, enhancing ongoing accessibility for new players.

Marketing and promotion

Redfall's marketing efforts commenced with its unveiling at the & Bethesda Showcase during , featuring a cinematic reveal trailer that showcased the game's atmospheric setting of a vampire-overrun coastal town in . The trailer emphasized the mechanics and ' signature elements, positioning the title as an exclusive for Series X|S and PC with day-one availability on . Building anticipation, subsequent promotions appeared at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022, including an official reveal trailer that highlighted the four playable characters—Devinder Crousley, Layla Ellison, Remi De La Rosa, and Jacob Boyer—and their unique abilities within the open-world environment. An extended sequence followed, demonstrating exploration, combat against vampire cults, and environmental interactions across the island of Redfall. In October 2022, another trailer reinforced the 2023 release window while focusing on the game's gothic visuals and squad-based . A January 2023 Developer_Direct livestream provided a deep dive into systems, further spotlighting character progression and world-building details. To engage audiences, Bethesda partnered with media outlets and influencers for hands-on previews in March 2023, offering roughly 90-minute sessions that allowed to the game's co-op features and vampire-slaying missions. These previews, shared by sources like and , generated impressions emphasizing the blend of Arkane's narrative-driven design with multiplayer elements. Promotions tied closely to branding, with trailers and announcements repeatedly underscoring the subscription service's role in making the game accessible at launch, aiming to leverage the platform's reach for broader player adoption. Launch window activities included a dedicated livestream event on May 1, 2023, hosted by Arkane Austin developers to celebrate the May 2 release, featuring live demonstrations and community interaction. A final launch trailer aired on April 27, 2023, recapping key features and urging pre-orders for bonus content like the Wolf Hero Pack skin. Merchandise promotions encompassed limited-edition Wireless Controllers available through Xbox Design Lab starting April 26, 2023, with five customizable designs inspired by the protagonists and vampires, including character-specific engravings and color schemes. The campaign faced controversy over perceived overhype of live-service features; early development plans included microtransactions and ongoing content updates, which were marketed implicitly through co-op and open-world promises but ultimately scaled back by 2021 amid shifting industry trends and internal decisions. This led to that promotional materials did not fully align with the final single-player-focused release, contributing to mismatched expectations among players.

Reception

Critical response

Upon its release in May 2023, Redfall received mixed to negative reviews from critics, earning a score of 56/100 for the Series X version based on 69 critic reviews and 53/100 for the PC version based on 56 reviews. Critics highlighted several strengths in the game's design, particularly its atmospheric that evoked a sense of eerie isolation in the -infested town of Redfall, drawing on ' expertise in environmental storytelling. The character designs and abilities were also praised for adding variety and to co-op play, with each hero's unique skills—such as Layla's telekinetic or Remi's robotic companion—encouraging teamwork and replayability in multiplayer sessions. Elements of Arkane's signature immersion sim style, like emergent encounters and player-driven environmental interactions, were noted as highlights that occasionally shone through the game's broader issues. However, the game faced substantial criticism for its repetitive mission structure, which often boiled down to fetch quests and basic vampire slaying without meaningful progression or narrative payoff. Story elements were described as underdeveloped, with a lore-heavy backdrop that failed to deliver compelling character arcs or emotional investment, leaving the plot feeling tacked-on amid the looter-shooter mechanics. Technical problems at launch were rampant, including frequent bugs, poor AI that resulted in enemies behaving erratically or unrealistically, and performance issues like frame rate drops and matchmaking failures, particularly on Xbox consoles. These flaws led many reviewers to compare Redfall unfavorably to failed live-service games, viewing it as a departure from Arkane's stronger single-player roots in titles like and Prey. Post-launch updates in 2023 and 2024 addressed many technical shortcomings, including a major patch adding 60 FPS support on and improved stability, which helped mitigate the initial bugs and AI inconsistencies. By 2025, retrospective evaluations reflected a softened stance on the game's reception, with critics acknowledging that while core issues like repetitive and a thin story persisted, the refined version was "playable but flawed," offering decent co-op fun for patient players. This evolving view came amid the game's commercial underperformance, though updates extended its viability on Game Pass.

Commercial performance and legacy

Redfall's commercial performance was underwhelming from the outset, with confirming in June 2023 that the game had generated only "minimal " despite its status as a high-profile exclusive. On , the title achieved a peak of 6,124 concurrent players shortly after its May 2023 launch, a figure that quickly declined and remained low in subsequent months, reflecting limited sustained interest. Its availability as a day-one launch on provided broader accessibility to subscribers, potentially reaching a wider than traditional alone might have, but this did not translate into strong player retention, as evidenced by ongoing reports of dwindling engagement and high refund rates amid launch issues. The game's struggles contributed significantly to the closure of its developer, Arkane Austin, which announced in May 2024 as part of broader studio consolidations aimed at prioritizing "high-impact" titles. This event positioned Redfall as a within the industry, highlighting risks associated with ambitious co-op shooters under large publishers and raising questions about resource allocation during 's post-acquisition integration of studios like Bethesda, including the cancellation of planned DLC like Bite Back. In September 2025, Bethesda issued refunds, including physical checks, to owners of the Bite Back Edition. Critics and former studio executives have pointed to the project's troubled development—exacerbated by the 2021 acquisition—as emblematic of challenges in balancing creative freedom with corporate expectations for multiplayer-focused content. By 2025, Redfall remains available for purchase on digital platforms including , the Store, and Game Pass, though active player communities are minimal. While it garnered no major awards, retrospective analyses and community-driven mods have emerged in online discussions, framing the title within narratives of "flops that improved" through post-launch patches, even as its legacy underscores ongoing debates about Microsoft's strategy for supporting experimental games.

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