Redfallwent from one of the most hyped games of the year tothe biggest disappointment of 2023 so far. While it had admittedly burned through a lot of goodwill in the run-up to its release, few could have anticipatedthe performance issues plaguing Redfall at launch, particularly on PC. Releasing when it did was clearly a mistake - and one that has leftXboxopen to a lot of criticism.
Since Redfall launched, many have also been expressing their concerns aboutStarfield, since that’s the next big Xbox launch on the horizon. However,Bethesdaloyalists have had enough. Throughout the community, Bethesda fans are hitting back against the doom and gloom, arguing that Redfall’s situation doesn’t necessarily mean that Starfield will also be pushed out before it’s ready.
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“Please, stop making comparisons between Starfield and Redfall,” says Reddit user Safe-Landscape138. “They are not developed by the same developer. They are different genres. According to your reasoning then evenDoom Eternalshould have come out badly since it came out afterFallout 76.”
Many others agree, “Starfield and Redfall are two distinct titles with no similarities,” says Exo_soldier. “People keep comparing Redfall’s disastrous launch and predicting if Starfield will suffer a similar fate when both games are literally only connected by the publisher.”
True enough, Redfall came to us courtesy ofArkane. However, given its reputation for hits such as Deathloop, Prey, and Dishonored, many had pointed to Microsoft as the “culprit” for Redfall, if there even is a culprit to be found. Given that Bethesda is also under the Microsoft umbrella, this led to fears that the same alleged mismanagement on Microsoft’s part could negatively influence Starfield. Chuck in the troubled ongoing development of Halo Infinite, and for some, it made for a pretty compelling case.
However, that is ignoring some of the hits that Microsoft has put out. It kicked off the year with the critically acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush, and released a healthy string of smaller games in 2022, such as Metal: Hellsinger, Vampire Survivor, and Pentiment. Admittedly, the triple-A scene was pretty light, another failing that Microsoft has been criticised over.
Even if Bethesda fans want everyone to lighten up over Starfield’s release this September, it’s safe to say that there’s a lot riding on its success. This will be Bethesda’s first straight-to-Game Pass title, and its first Xbox console exclusive since being acquired by Microsoft in 2021. Not only that, it will have to make up for Xbox’s game drought, and now, the disappointment of Redfall. So while Redfall’s failure might not necessarily mean Starfield will be a mess, it definitely piles on the pressure.
Next:Why Did Phil Spencer Say Great Games Won’t Shift Xbox Sales When They Obviously Would?
