Arkane director claims Microsoft cancelled PS5 version of ‘Redfall’
Arkane Studios director Harvey Smith has claimed that the company was working on a PS5 version of upcoming vampire shooter Redfall, but it was cancelled when Microsoft acquired parent company Bethesda Softworks.
Speaking to IGN France, Smith shared that Redfall – now an Xbox and PC exclusive – was originally meant to launch on PS5 as well.
“We got bought by Microsoft and that was a huge sea change,” Smith revealed. “They said, ‘no PlayStation 5. Now we’re gonna do Game Pass, Xbox, and PC.’”
However, Smith added that cutting the PS5 version made developing Redfall simpler because it meant having “to worry about one less platform, one less platform”.
The director also said that Microsoft’s support through Game Pass meant good things for Redfall. “Game pass has a ton of people that can play,” Smith explained. “It could be our biggest game ever because of the 30million Game Pass [users] or whatever that is.”
Smith’s comments come at an awkward time for Microsoft, as the company is currently trying to argue that it will not pull major titles like Call Of Duty from PlayStation if its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved.
While Microsoft recently signed an agreement with Nintendo to bring Call Of Duty to its platforms for 10 years, Sony remains unconvinced that a successful acquisition wouldn’t harm competition.
Earlier in the month, Sony alleged that even if it signed a similar agreement, Microsoft could still sabotage PlayStation by providing an inferior version of Call Of Duty for the console.
However, six game companies have since come forward to back Microsoft’s proposed acquisition.
As for Redfall, NME recently got to preview Arkane’s upcoming game and described it as a departure from many of the studio’s prior titles.
In other gaming news, Atari has entered an agreement to purchase Night Dive Studios.
The post Arkane director claims Microsoft cancelled PS5 version of ‘Redfall’ appeared first on NME.
Andy Brown
NME
