Redfall’s previous update will be its last, with premium edition buyers to be refunded for the two characters they'll never get

(Image credit: Bethesda)

The studio behind vampire FPS Redfall has announced that no further updates are coming, with refunds offered to purchasers of premium content that will never enter the game as a result of Arkane Austin's closure.

"Arkane Austin will close and development will not continue on Redfall," reads an official statement on Twitter. "Redfall players who purchased the Hero Pass as part of the premium Bite Back edition or the premium Bite Back upgrade will be eligible to receive the value of the upgrade." The premium content in question amounted to the addition of two new playable DLC characters and various cosmetic weapons skins and outfits. While the studio has ceased work on all future updates, Arkane Austin has assured that "Redfall's servers will remain online for players to enjoy".

Arkane Austin is one of many ZeniMax-Bethesda developers affected by Microsoft's latest spate of studio shutdowns, along with with Hi-Fi Rush and Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks, as Microsoft enters a period of "reprioritization of titles and resources" (via IGN). In the same email, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty says that "some members of the [Arkane Austin] team [are] joining other studios to work on projects across Bethesda," and "make-good offers" will be made to players who have already purchased Redfall's unfinished premium content.

While Redfall's lukewarm reception at launch in May 2023 was disappointing, as noted in our own Redfall review, subsequent updates had put the game in much better standing, improving its stability across the board to prove Redfall a solid FPS experience now in 2024.

Arkane Lyon head reacts to Arkane Austin's closure by Microsoft: a "f***ing gut stab"

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Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she began her journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and Tech Radar Gaming before joining GR+ full-time in 2023. She now focuses predominantly on features content for GamesRadar+, attending game previews, and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional stint with the news or guides teams. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine challenging her friends to a Resident Evil 2 speedrun, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.