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I’m a no-name nobody who enjoys observing the games industry, and blogging about Xbox (mostly). About.

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Redfall clusterfk

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    Linked: Behind the development of Redfall

    …to the makers of Redfall, the mediocre reception was no big surprise. The project suffered from unclear direction, frequent attrition and a perennial lack of staff, according to more than a dozen people who worked on the game.

    Jason Schreier

    Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier spoke to several anonymous developers about Redfall, and what led to the disastrous launch.

    A few notes:

    • Redfall development began during a tumultuous time when Zenimax was looking to be acquired. Their games historically had been critically well received but failed to sell huge numbers. This lead to a mandated focus on more “service” type games and MTX oppotunities.
    • Reportedly up to 70% of the developers that worked on Prey left the studio, and they then had difficulties hiring for a live service co-op game when the studio’s reputation was built on im-sim single player experiences.
    • The game had microtransaction plans in place for its first three years of development; this was ultimately scrapped.
    • Some working staff had privately hoped Microsoft would cancel the game, or allow for a full reboot.

    Inside the making of Redfall, Xbox’s latest misfire [Bloomberg]

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    Linked: Xbox “wasn’t involved” with Redfall

    I’m still gathering evidence on exactly why or how Redfall was allowed to release in this state […] However, I have been told by multiple sources that Xbox was entirely hands-off with the project, and that the game doesn’t fall under Xbox Game Studios’ director Matt Booty’s responsibilities — because rightly or wrongly, right now, Arkane is not an Xbox Game Studio by internal definition.  

    Jez Corden

    Xbox wasn’t involved with Redfall, but it’s still blamed for its quality [windowscentral.com]

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    Now playing Redfall + the reviews are in

    I have to admit, after seeing gameplay leaks and slight hints of what the reviews would look like, I installed Redfall this morning to check it out for myself.

    Even with the middling reviews, everything people have been saying – even the not-so-great stuff – the idea of the game kinda started roping me in.

    I’ll point you at these two reviews, which I feel are even handed and point out exactly how the game fails to land the more lacklustre aspects.

    For myself, I’m bummed that 60fps is missing at launch, as I could really settle into the world I’ve seen so far. Hopefully that feature is weeks, not months, away.

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    On Xbox and disappointment

    Windows Central’s Jez Corden hits the nail on the head here with an excellent opinion piece, following Arcane’s recent announcement that Redfall will launch missing a 60fps mode.

    At the end of the day, Xbox fans just want to see the platform they’ve invested in succeeding on the same level the competition seems to succeed, with expectations set by Microsoft itself being met. There are too many caveats, too many broken promises, and too much misalignment between marketing beats and product realities. As a fan, it just becomes a little tiring. 

    Jez Corden

    On Xbox, caveats, and mismanaged expectations [windowscentral.com]

    #Redfall Clusterfk

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    Redfall is launching with 30fps modes only

    Redfall is launching on Xbox consoles with Quality mode only:
    Xbox Series X: 4K 30 FPS
    Xbox Series S: 1440p 30 FPS
    60 FPS Performance mode will be added via game update at a later date.

    @playRedfall

    Shambles.

    At this point I think if Xbox can’t meet baseline expectations here or there, they at least just need to be entirely transparent about it. If you’re dropping the ball, tell us the exact reason you can’t hit launch but *can* patch it in. Without that the narratives take off.

    They’ve done a very poor job of controlling the communication on this one because it’s not just the game, it’s the perception of your entire platform.

    #Redfall Clusterfk

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