Redfall studio was reportedly working on offline mode for May release before closure

Arkane Austin – one of four studios closed as part of a shock announcement by Microsoft earlier today – was reportedly working on a major update for its embattled vampire shooter Redfall that was set to introduce an offline mode this month.

That’s according to IGN’s Wesley Yin-Poole, who reports Arkane Austin was working on DLC and updates for the game “until very recently”. These included features promised as part of Redfall’s long-awaited Hero Pass and a more general update adding an offline mode.

As per IGN, Redfall’s Hero Pass was set to add two new characters this “Halloween” – almost a year and a half after the game’s critically panned launch – while an offline mode was due to release sometime this month, until Microsoft’s closure decision put an end to those plans.

Last year, Redfall director Harvey Smith told Eurogamer Arkane Austin was “working actively” to remove the game’s hugely unpopular always-online requirement when playing strictly in single-player mode – and the feature’s failure to launch following Arkane’s closure raises questions about Redfall’s future, should Microsoft take the next step of pulling its servers offline.

Today’s studio closures – which have been confirmed to impact Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush and The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks, Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios – have been met with widespread condemnation. Arkane Lyon’s studio and co-creative director even took to social media to describe the move as a “fucking gut stab”.

Since then, former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra has moved to defend Xbox boss Phil Spencer, insisting, “I know this hurts him as much as anyone else.”