Reimbursements for Arkane Austin’s ill-fated shooter Redfall have started rolling out to customers who requested them, one month after Microsoft closed the studio and offered refunds for those who bought its premium content.
The refunds in question concern premium DLC planned for the game’s Hero Pass. Arkane Austin had told players in November that the DLC expansion was still in development, and that it would have more to share in 2024. Then, with the studio’s closure, remaining staff confirmed this DLC would never be released.
The Hero Pass was part of the game’s Bite Back special edition, which was sold both at retail and in online marketplaces. There was also the Bite Back upgrade, which was an online-only purchase that gave buyers of the base edition the content of the special edition.
Presumably, many users took advantage of the upgrade rather than the special edition because Redfall was a day-one launch on Xbox Game Pass. Subscribers, rightly guessing Microsoft wouldn’t be pulling it from the library anytime soon (and it has not, despite Arkane Austin’s closure) simply bought the upgrade and played the Game Pass version they were entitled to as subscribers.
🚨 UPDATE 🚨
Microsoft is now issuing refunds for Redfall's Hero Pass as part of the Redfall Bit Back Edition or the premium Bite Back upgrade.
Credit goes to @Random_Name and @EnderRising 📸 pic.twitter.com/sDO9FzK5vF
— GPT: Game Pass Tracker (@GPTGamingNews) June 20, 2024
Other gamers confirm the screenshot in that X post, that they’re getting refunded without asking for one. If you bought this content, chances are you are too. Another Reddit post confirmed the refunds are coming to Steam users.
For those who want to be doubly sure they get their dough back, another Redditor pointed out that Xbox Live support agents, through chat, can issue instant refunds if requested. Those who bought physical versions have to go through a separate process, and should contact Bethesda Softworks’ customer support for instructions on how to get their money back.
What happened to Redfall?
Xbox Game Studios closed down Arkane Austin (as well as Ghostwire: Tokyo maker Tango Gameworks on May 7. Both were subsidiaries of Bethesda Softworks. Whereas Ghostwire: Tokyo had been in development before Microsoft acquired Bethesda in 2020, and the game was a PlayStation exclusive that the publisher honored, Redfall was tabbed as a day-one Game Pass launch, the kind that should drive value to the subscription.
Redfall, unfortunately, was delayed from its original 2022 release date into 2023, part of a dry spell for first-party Game Pass launches that bruised Xbox Game Studios’ reputation and expectations of it.
Redfall itself was a critical flop, with reviewers saying that, despite the novel premise of a seaside town overrun by vampires, the gameplay itself was dull and repetitive, serving a title that felt unpolished overall. The game received one last update on Arkane Austin’s way out the door.
