According to an anonymous developer who worked on Redfall at Arkane Austin, the PS5 version was discontinued after Microsoft's buyout of ZeniMax Media, the company behind Bethesda games and Softworks.
The game is scheduled to launch in May 2023 for Xbox Series X|S and PC and will be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass. However, some fans were wondering why there was no mention of a PS5 version during the reveal trailer or any subsequent interviews. Well, it turns out that there was a PS5 version in development before Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in September 2020.
Redfall Was Coming to PS5 as Well
Redfall was announced at E3 2021 as an Xbox exclusive, but it was originally planned to be released on PS5 as well. That's right, according to Redfall developer Arkane, Microsoft shut down the PS5 version of Redfall after it bought ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios.
The developer at Arkane claims they were working on both versions simultaneously until they received an email from Bethesda informing them that they had to stop working on the PS5 version immediately. The developer said that they were disappointed by this decision, as they had put a lot of effort into optimizing Redfall for Sony's console.
Focus on Co-Op Gameplay
The developer also revealed some details about how Redfall differs from Arkane's previous games like Prey and Dishonored. They said that Redfall is more focused on co-op gameplay than single-player exploration and has more RPG elements like skill trees and loot drops. They also said that Redfall has a dynamic weather system that affects gameplay, such as rain making surfaces slippery or fog reducing visibility.
The Arkane dev also confirmed that Redfall is not related to any existing franchises or IPs, despite some fan theories suggesting otherwise. They said that Redfall is a completely new IP created by Arkane Austin from scratch.
Redfall is set in a town of the same name in Massachusetts, where a legion of vampires have blocked out the sun and cut off the citizens from the outside world. You can play solo or team up with up to three friends to fight back against the bloodsuckers and their cultist followers. You can choose from a diverse cast of heroes, each with its unique abilities and weapons. The game promises to deliver Arkane's signature gameplay of immersive sims and carefully crafted worlds with a story-driven action shooter twist.
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