Redfall's second crash: $100 for the Bite Back edition with Hero DLC for Xbox will somehow make up for it, there will be no offline, servers will still be up for now

Redfall, the now abandoned game from Arkane Austin, had a roadmap for support before the studio closed. Developers were actively working on content until Microsoft ended all development and shut down the studio. In particular, they were working on DLC and updates for the game.

The previously canceled Hero Pass content, which was supposed to add two new characters to the cooperative vampire shooter, was planned for this Halloween. In an email about the downsizing sent to employees on May 7, Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, cited changing priorities and resources as reasons for the decision. The email also confirms that Redfall servers will remain online.

"The game and its servers will remain online so that players can enjoy them, and we will offer benefits to players who purchased the Hero DLC," Booty noted.

However, there is concern that Redfall, which requires a constant internet connection to play, will no longer launch. Back in March of last year, on the eve of Redfall's release, Arkane Austin stated that they were working on a fix to remove the network requirement.

But the offline mode was not implemented. The May update for Redfall would have added the ability to play in offline mode, which would have helped support the game in the future. Unfortunately for players, it will never see the light of day.

Some fans have already paid $100 for the exclusive Bite Back edition for Xbox, which included the promised Hero DLC, and were expecting updates through Game Pass. The Arkane Austin message states that players who purchased the add-on in this way will be able to get a refund (the method is unknown).

Signup here https://t.co/wb1R4m4emj to receive details on how eligible players can receive this credit. pic.twitter.com/69Os17kpQ8

— Arkane Studios (@ArkaneStudios) May 7, 2024

Redfall is one of the biggest disasters in Xbox history. The game was widely criticized at launch, and its further development was also very challenging. The game was criticized for its easy missions, unappealing combat, uninteresting enemies, low performance, numerous bugs, the requirement to always be online, and so on.

Last year, then-head of Bethesda, Pete Hines, assured players that Arkane would not abandon Redfall and was confident that people would still want to play it even 10 years later. Arkane took over a month to release the first major patch for the game.

It took five months for the Xbox Series X versions to receive 60 frames per second support, and the following month Arkane disappointed fans again when the third patch proposed a new sniper rifle instead of highly demanded features, such as an offline mode. And that was the last thing players saw from the studio.

Sources: IGN, Kotaku