Redfall Was Originally Being Developed for PlayStation 5

A stark departure from typical games, upcoming supernatural first-person shooter Redfall from developer Arkane Studios and publisher Bethesda Softworks is slowly shaping up to be a unique experience and not another Left 4 Dead copy.

Arkane is currently inviting various outlets for Redfall hands-on preview, being praised for their creative gameplay and storytelling. Moreover, devs confirmed how their latest vampire shooter was initially in development for PlayStation 5.

Months ahead of launch, Arkane Austin studio director Harvey Smith talks to IGN France during an interview about impact of Bethesda acquisition by Microsoft in 2021 and recalls cancellation of release for PlayStation 5 version of Redfall.

Smith shared in a recent press event that once they (Arkane) were acquired by Microsoft a few years back, there was a change with capital C, as they came in and said, No PlayStation 5, we're only focusing on PC, Xbox and the Game Pass.

Although not very serious, it was a good decision, states Smith, since it helps Arkane to support Game Pass. Dev team had one less complexity and platform to worry about, while Redfall could be their biggest title ever via Xbox Game Pass.

Bethesda takeover was more of an opportunity than a fatality for Arkane as they didn't seem to interfere in other aspects of Redfall. With over 30 million subscribers, Xbox Game Pass can offer their game a huge player-base on release day.

Microsoft previously stated to regulators that future Bethesda games exclusivity on Xbox will be decided on a case to case basis in future. People generally assumed that new IPs and franchises remains exclusive to Xbox, much like Starfield.

Redfall is currently scheduled to release across on PC and Xbox Series X/S with Xbox Game Pass on May 2, 2023. In other report, Arkane is working to remove its always-online requirement for single-player mode after serious fan-criticism.