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Xbox weighs canceling Blade game and shuttering Arkane (www.theverge.com)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/games@sh.itjust.works
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[–] 15 points 4 months ago* (3 children)

This is sad, but:

  • Dishonored 2 was 2016

  • Prey and Death of the Outsider was 2017

  • Prey Mooncrash, 2018

This was Arkane in their prime.

But that was 10 years ago:

  • Wolfstein 2019 wasn't my cup of tea.

  • Deathloop was... fine, but more niche.

  • Redfall was not fine.

  • And Marvel Blade is already delayed and over budget.

I hate to say it, but I think Arkane is already dead. It may be MS's doing, yes, but to be fair, MS funded them through several mixed games and a massive failure already.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    I mean, how much of Redfall was Microsoft's fault though? It didn't really seem like a game Arkane wanted to make. I'd wager a guess and say after Deathloop underperformed, the suits gave them a brief of what they needed to make.

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  • [–] 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

    Microsoft didn't own them at that point. Actually, it sounds like they were kinda duped, despite MS trying do respect Arkane:

    https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/new-report-reveals-more-from-inside-redfalls-troubled-development

    ...The report reveals that whilst development started on the game in 2018, it started as a single-player title with vampires and magic, but changed direction several times due to feedback from Zenimax and Bethesda. At this time Zenimax were looking to increase their value to potential buyers, and thought the best way to do this was to encourage 'games as a service'. ZeniMax wanted to develop games that could generate recurring revenue through microtransactions, akin to titles like Overwatch and Fortnite.

    The game’s development was also hampered by frequent attrition and a perennial lack of staff.

    Microsoft acquired ZeniMax in September 2020 for $7.5 billion, hoping to boost its Xbox Game Pass service with exclusive games from Bethesda and its subsidiaries. The buyout actually lead staff at Arkane to hope that Redfall would be canceled, or rebooted as the single-player title they wished to create. However, due to Xbox's "hands-off approach," their prayers were not answered, and development continued in the same haphazard fashion. The only thing Microsoft did put the breaks on, was a version of Redfall for Sony Playstation.

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