Legendary game designer Harvey Smith has stated that he pleaded with Microsoft to allow his team to release a final patch for the Xbox console exclusive Redfall, even after Arkane Austin, the studio he worked for, had been shut down and he was "fired."
Redfall, a first-person vampire shooter, launched in 2023 to largely negative reviews and became the final project for Arkane Austin. The studio, known for titles like Prey and Dishonored, was closed in May 2024, canceling its post-launch plans for Redfall.
Smith, who previously served as lead game designer on Deus Ex and creative director for Dishonored and its sequel, revealed in an interview with The Game Business that his team had been working on patch version 1.4, which aimed to fix numerous player-reported issues. Despite being laid off, Smith and several colleagues negotiated with Microsoft to gain access to the office and complete the update.
"We went to Microsoft and said, ‘I know we don't work here anymore, but can we please release this?'" Smith recalled. "And to their credit, they did not say no. They let six or seven of us sign forms that we could come back in the building. After being fired, we released 1.4, which I think if we had that on day one, it wouldn't have set the world on fire, but it was a much, much better game."
Smith reflected on Redfall as a difficult project, noting that Arkane was known for its specialized immersive sim genre. He acknowledged being "swept up in the games-as-a-service thing" and misjudging the industry trend. The development was further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the fate of Arkane Lyon, the studio currently developing Marvel's Blade, is uncertain as it is reportedly being sold as part of an Xbox "reset." Smith has since co-founded a new studio, Black Pony Immersive, with other former Arkane talent, intending to return to the immersive sim genre he helped pioneer.