Redfall Director Fought Microsoft to Release Final Patch

Harvey Smith says he pushed Microsoft to let Arkane Austin ship one last Redfall update after the studio was closed, arguing that patch 1.4 addressed major problems that had hurt the game at launch. Smith said the company allowed a small group of former developers back into the office to finish and release the update, even after layoffs had already ended their jobs.

Smith discussed the situation while speaking to The Game Business. Redfall launched in 2023 to a harsh reception, and the game became Arkane Austin's final project before Microsoft shut the studio down in May 2024. The team had continued working on post-launch support, but that work was cut short when the closure was announced.

According to Smith, patch 1.4 was already deep in production when the layoffs happened. He said the update fixed a long list of player complaints and technical issues, and that he personally asked Microsoft to let the team complete it anyway.

"We finished the game and it was very poorly received," Smith said. "We then worked on it for a year. We patched thousands of bugs. We then got laid off, but we had in the pipe version 1.4. It was the one that fixed tons of stuff."

He said Microsoft ultimately agreed. "They let six or seven of us sign forms that we could come back in the building. After being fired, we released 1.4, which I think if we had that on day one, it wouldn't have set the world on fire, but it was a much, much better game."

That account adds a striking coda to Redfall's troubled development. Arkane Austin had built its reputation on immersive sims such as Prey and the Dishonored series, while Redfall moved toward a co-op shooter structure with live-service elements. Smith said the team was trying to widen its audience when it embraced that direction, but the project ran into deeper problems as development continued.

"That was a difficult project," Smith said. "Arkane is very specialized, but the industry is growing, and there's always more mouths to feed. And it's great when you can reach a wider audience. We got swept up in the games-as-a-service thing, and I had the foolish chutzpah to assume that it always works out for us."

He also pointed to the timing of the pandemic as another complication during production, as the studio tried to combine Arkane's usual design strengths with character classes, day and night mechanics, and a broader multiplayer framework.

Smith's comments land at a moment when Arkane's future remains split between closure and uncertainty. Arkane Austin is gone, while Arkane Lyon is still at work on Marvel's Blade. The broader Xbox restructuring has left questions around how Microsoft will handle some of its internal studios and projects over the next few years.

For Smith, the interview also marks a transition into his next chapter. He is now attached to Black Pony Immersive, a new studio formed with other former Arkane developers. Its focus is the immersive sim space that defined much of Smith's career, from Deus Ex through Dishonored and Prey. His description of Redfall patch 1.4 suggests he wanted to leave Arkane Austin's final release in better shape before moving on.