PS5 Version of Redfall Was in Development at Arkane

It turns out that Arkane had been developing a PS5 version of Redfall, however, it was suddenly canceled and the game and became exclusive to Microsoft platforms after Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft.

In an interview with IGN France, creative director Harvey Smith noted that the acquisition by Microsoft resulted in a significant change for the studio. "They came in and said, 'No PlayStation 5, we're focusing on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass'," Smith recalled.

Although Redfall was initially planned to be released on all platforms, Smith mentioned that the studio wasn't bothered by Microsoft's decision as having the Game Pass support and "one less platform to worry about" was beneficial for Arkane. He further added that this move could even help the studio to make Redfall the studio's "biggest game" thanks to "a ton of people" that Game Pass has.

Given Arkane's history of developing games for multiple platforms and its ties to PlayStation (with Deathloop being a timed PlayStation exclusive), it's not unexpected that the studio was working on a PS5 version of Redfall. However, it's also not surprising that Microsoft canceled the PS5 version. Previously, the company honored the PlayStation releases of Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo, but it still hasn't fully utilized its ownership of Bethesda.

Still, Microsoft's decision to cancel the PS5 version of Redfall may undermine its efforts to promote its vision of gaming accessibility, particularly considering that the company is trying to prove that it works to make Call of Duty more accessible if it closes the Activision Blizzard deal. Sony, which is actively opposing the merger, could use this cancellation to argue that Microsoft is failing to deliver on its promises.

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