What you need to know
- Redfall is a vampire killing shooter from former Microsoft subsidiary Arkane Austin.
- The game was a commercial and critical flop, criticized for an overall lack of polish and uninspired gameplay.
- About a year after launch, Microsoft shut down the studio behind the game, Arkane Austin, who also created the criminally underrated immersive sim Prey.
- Users who purchased Redfall’s “Bite Back Edition” were promised additional DLC, which was ultimately canceled.
- Now Microsoft has started rolling out refunds to digital owners on Steam and Xbox.
Redfall was a 4-player co-op shooter set on a fictional island community under siege by vampires and other such mutants. Developed by Arkane Austin of Prey fame, Redfall looked like it had some promise in its first marketing cycle, but the full game unfortunately fell well short of expectations. A general lack of sophistication, flanked by uninspired gameplay, meant that Redfall struggled to stand out in a busy crowd, and thus failed to find an audience.
Microsoft acquired the studio behind Redfall sometime midway through development, as part of its purchase of Bethesda/ZeniMax a few years ago. About a year after Redfall’s disappointing launch, Microsoft closed Arkane Austin, along with Tango Gameworks and other Bethesda Studios, as part of restructuring efforts. Incidentally, Redfall’s promised DLC plans were shelved, leaving users who had purchased season passes and associated content early on with the game’s “Bite Back” edition in the lurch. Now it looks like Microsoft and Bethesda are trying to repair the damage.
I received tips tonight from users who purchased Redfall’s Bite Back Edition that they will automatically get their money back. The Bite Back Edition cost $26.99 and Microsoft appears to be refunding the full amount to users on both Xbox and Steam.
Refunds seem to be rolling out in waves, with some having already received one while others are currently waiting. Check your junk mail associated with your Steam or Xbox account in case it ended up there. One user also informed me that they were able to work with Bethesda customer service to receive a refund for the physical version of the Redfall Bite Back Edition as well, after submitting a ticket. But if you choose this route, be patient with the wait times as there may be quite a few other people trying to obtain refunds through this method as well.
The right thing to do for customers
Redfall had a solid concept behind it, considering we live in a world these days with a chronic lack of high-quality vampire games. Perhaps it’s the lingering curse of the Twilight films, but Redfall was unfortunately not destined for greatness. Redfall had received some solid updates post-launch, including a 60 FPS mode, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough.
The human cost of Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and other studios shuttered by Microsoft in recent years is still difficult to think about. But at the very least, it’s good to see Bethesda and Microsoft making amends for customers who purchased the expected content but didn’t receive it. If you purchased the Redfall Bite Back Edition, keep an eye on your inbox for a refund, or contact Bethesda customer service if you’re a physical version owner.
Arkane lives on under the Arkane Lyon branch and is now working with Disney and Marvel on a game based on the also vampiric Blade IP.