Xbox exclusive Redfall was set to launch on PS5, according to the director of Arkane Studio, which is responsible for developing the game. The release was canceled after a period of unannounced work due to Microsoft's acquisition of the studio and its parent company.

declared Harvey Smiththe director of co-op shooter Redfall, which was also in development for PS5 before work on that version was halted following Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda.

Speaking to IGN, Smith said that one of the notable downsides of the acquisition was the immediate and swift cancellation of the PlayStation 5 version of the game, and continued:

We were acquired by Microsoft and it was a capital shift, they came to us and said no to the launch of the PlayStation 5, we focused on Xbox, PC and Game Pass.

The game had been in development for a year before the acquisition, meaning it was almost certain to arrive on Sony's platform. But canceling it in this manner really shows us the dark side of acquisitions in the video game industry and for gamers. Smith continued:

It's not too bad, we have the opportunity to make the game available on Game Pass so things are a little less complicated. It keeps us focused on one thing rather than branching out to other platforms. The service will really help us reach as many players as possible, which is around 30 million or so.

These statements could be an explicit and clear justification for Sony's fears regarding Microsoft's acquisition of the Call of Duty maker, as the latter could face the same fate by canceling work on copies destined for PlayStation platforms after the acquisitions are completed. This is also what happened with some of the other Bethesda games that were acquired by Microsoft, as they were canceled on Sony platforms.

A controversial statement from the game director and the studio after all these years. We remind you that Redfall arrives next May 2 on Xbox Series devices and PC, and from day one on Game Pass.

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