Redfall will be the first game that Arkane puts out as an Xbox first party studio (what with Deathloop originally have released as a PS5 console exclusive), which means it’s also bringing about some major changes for the studio, even in terms of how the game is distributed. Like all first party Microsoft titles, Redfall will be available on Game Pass at launch, potentially opening up to a much larger audience right out the gate than Arkane titles have typically seen in the past – and that’s something the developer itself is keenly aware of.
Speaking in a recent interview with GamesRadar, studio director Harvey Smith acknowledged the potential of being able to exhibit the appeal of Arkane-developed experiences to a much wider audience thanks to Redfall’s Game Pass launch. At the same time, Smith says the prospect is also “shocking” and “scary in a way”.
“I feel like with Xbox Game Pass, the potential is here for us to say: this is Arkane, and these are our creative values – we can expose a lot of people to the way that we make games,” he said. “I hope we can turn people onto what we do: deep world creation, environmental storytelling, the emergent results of combat and your powers, and creating lovingly crafted worlds with a real sense of history and character.”
“The pool that Game Pass offers is huge for us. It’s kind of shocking, and scary in a way. Like, how many people are going to play Redfall in the first week? What if it’s a lot more than we anticipated… we’re going to get a lot of feedback very quickly, and a lot of people will see what we’ve spent the last few years on.”
Redfall is set to launch in the first half of 2023 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. According to leaks, it will release in early May.
