For what was to be Bethesda Studios’ first major exclusive to shine in the Xbox ecosystem since acquiring the publisher in 2020, it’s an understatement to say that Redfall didn’t live up to expectations, especially compared to the unexpected Hi-Fi Rush that sprung from its box in January from the same publisher. Overwhelmed with a 59 (Xbox Series) and a 57 (PC) on Metacritic, the game of the nevertheless talented Arkane Austin is also already feeling the consequences of this very lukewarm critical reception: with a modest peak of 6 124 concurrent players on Steam, it will take the goodwill of Game Pass subscribers to scare the vampires. Add to this the very low rate (30%) of positive evaluations from Steam players, and we realize that the lack of performance mode on Xbox Series was far from being the biggest trouble with the game.
For Phil Spencer, it is therefore time to engage in an exercise with which he is finally quite familiar, that of the salad of excuses presented on their bed of self-flagellation. While being protective of Arkane’s team, like a coach protecting his players after an unworthy match, the manager also revealed that the tests carried out internally by Microsoft’s teams suggested that Redfall was going to inherit better marks (at least 10 points more).
« There’s nothing harder for me than disappointing the Xbox community. I’ve been part of it for a long time. Obviously I work for Xbox, I’m the head of the company, I have a lot of friends and I get a lot of feedback, and seeing the community lose faith, be disappointed… I’m disappointed and I blame myself. »
« We do simulation ratings for every game we release, and Redfall’s average is double digits below where we thought the game would be. This is one of the most disappointing things: you wouldn’t try so hard to launch a game knowing that its critical average will be in the 60% range, that’s not part of our objectives. »
A too lax Microsoft?
One of the questions that the case of Redfall relaunched is that of the level of responsibility of Xbox management on a game whose development had begun before Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft. Without running away from his responsibilities, Phil Spencer nevertheless suggests that the role of his teams in Redfall was rather limited. We should not be surprised: according to the latest indiscretions of Jeff Grubb, which only join past investigations, Microsoft’s management method is characterized by its low interference in the studios with which it works. An interesting philosophy for creative freedom, but which reveals its weaknesses when a studio needs to be supervised, whether it is to establish a creative vision (hello Undead Labs) or to raise the tone when a toxic culture takes hold ( hello Moon Studios). Redfall can it act as an electric shock and incite Microsoft to control more the production of its studios? Phil Spencer suggests yes.
« I think we need to improve our engagement with games that are halfway through production when we join Xbox. I think the expectations of a game and even a team are different when going from being a third-party studio to being an in-house studio. We should have done a better job of getting involved from the start with Arkane Austin to help them understand what it meant to be part of the Xbox studio family, and use some of our internal resources to help them move forward even faster. on this path. »
Naturally, Arkane Studio will continue to work on the game to raise the bar technically. ” We’re still working on the 60 fps update and we’re going to keep working on the game. We’ve shown our commitment to games like Sea of Thieves and Grounded when it comes to continuing to make a game better. But I also know that these games cost 70 dollars, and I will take full responsibility for the launch. We disappointed a lot of people this week with the game’s launch, but we will keep fighting. »
Studios free to step out of their comfort zone
And if some lament that Redfall strays too far from Arkane’s habits, it is out of the question for Phil Spencer to force the studios to stay in their comfort zone. The leader takes as an example the turns taken by Rare with Sea of Thieves, Obsidian with Grounded or Tango Gameworks with Hi-Fi Rush: three successes from three studios that took the risk of doing something different.
« One thing I won’t do is go against the creative aspirations of our teams. I know a lot of people will say “Hey, you have teams that know how to do one type of play, so force them to do this type of play that they are proven to play”. I do not believe it at all. Maybe that means I’m not going to measure up for some of our fans. »
- Also Read | The Redfall test by Cael
