Microsoft shut down Arkane Austin in May, but despite the sad news, former studio head Harvey Smith is “energized” after Redfall’s final update.
To the dismay of many, Microsoft announced in early May that it would shut down High-fidelity music studio Tango Gameworks, Redfall developer Arkane Austin, as well as Alpha Dog Games and Roundhouse Games. Arkane Austin managed to release the last update for the game, which was released at the end of May and added a series of features that players have been asking for since the game’s release last year. Now that fans have been playing the game for a while, former studio head Smith shared on Twitter that the response to the game has left him “energized.”
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On Smith’s personal Twitter account, he wrote, “I’m feeling energized hearing about people playing the stripped-down version of Redfall Final Edition. I’m looking forward to talking about what I’m working on next.” Even more ironically, he added, “The last hit in the office was ‘Inbox Zero’,” though that’s more of a victory for him than for anyone else. Smith hasn’t announced his current plans in the industry since the studio’s closure was announced, but with 30 years of experience under his belt, I’m sure he’s found the right job.
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The fourth and final Redfall update brings a number of quality of life changes, but the most notable is undoubtedly the fact that the game now has offline functionality. Redfall launched as an always-online game, which was a controversial move for many, and when the studio announced its closure there were concerns that the game simply wouldn’t be playable anymore, but this update ensures it’s playable at least for the time being. There are also various quality of life changes, so even if it’s not the game Arkane Austin wanted it to be, at least it’s more playable now.
