Bethesda to keep working on Redfall after Starfield success

It’s not a controversial statement to say that Redfall didn’t release in the best shape on Xbox and PC earlier this year. Head of Global Publishing at Bethesda, Pete Hines notes that “we [Bethesda] didn’t get the start we wanted”. Despite this, Hines is insistent that Redfall is “still a fun game” and not one they’re going to abandon anytime soon.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Hines pointed to the poor launch of both The Elder Scrolls Online on PC and Fallout 76 as other examples. He noted, “Now it’s [The Elder Scrolls Online] like this insanely popular multiplatform [game]. It’s the same with Fallout 76”. Hines was particularly interested in pointing towards the longevity of games thanks to their availability on Xbox Game Pass.

Hines quickly pointed out that Bethesda isn’t a developer/publisher that will “quit or abandon stuff just because it didn’t start right” and that “there will be people ten years from now who are going to join Game Pass, and Redfall will be there”.

Despite this long redemption approach that Hines seems to be hoping for when talking about Redfall, it’s fair to say that the game’s poor launch definitely had many Bethesda fans worried about future Bethesda games, most notably Starfield. Speaking on the pressure to deliver with Starfield after Redfall, Hines said, “There’s always pressure with every launch. The pressure is an external thing we keep an eye on, but we don’t allow it to be a focus because we have zero control over it”.

Only time will tell if Arkane’s Redfall will be redeemed for players in a similar way to Fallout 76, but the more interesting aspect to this story will be how Xbox Game Pass affects the game’s longevity as since its release, Redfall has struggled to maintain a consistent player base with numerous bugs and a general lack of quality-of-life features missing from the game.

However, Starfield seems to have been unaffected by many players’ worries, with the game proving to be a hit with many Bethesda fans and lovers of sci-fi RPGs alike. If you’re looking at jumping into Starfield either today or on September 6, be sure to check out our Starfield companions and Starfield planets guides.