Redfall is being review-bombed due to performance issues

Between review bombing due to performance issues, lacking a 60 frames per second (FPS) mode on console, and being “always online”, Redfall’s launch hasn’t gone as smoothly as Arkane and Microsoft had intended.

The details:

• Redfall, Arkane Austin's co-op vampire hunting shooter, has finally been released after being delayed in 2022. So far, critics' reactions have been mixed, with many criticizing the game for poor shooting mechanics, a lack of polish, and a lifeless world, and others praising its weapon variety and sound design.
• However, the term "lack of polish" doesn't quite describe the state of the game's PC port, with 70% of reviews on Steam being negative, lowering the store rating to "Mostly Negative." The game, like the recently released Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, struggles to reach 60 FPS at times, with stuttering common even on the most powerful hardware. The console version isn't faring much better, with both platforms suffering from numerous AI bugs on top of additional performance issues.
• Redfall's reveal as an “always-online” title left players with a bad taste in their mouths even before it was released. Arkane has since stated that it is working on removing the requirement in a future update while also confirming that microtransactions would not be included, which had fans hopeful. Those hopes were crushed when it was revealed that the Xbox version of the game would only launch with a 30 FPS mode, with a 60 FPS performance mode coming later, which is typically included in all major releases.
• Unfortunately, this seems to be a rare miss from Arkane, who is best known for the Dishonored series, as well as Prey and Deathloop, all of which have received glowing reviews from fans and critics over the years. The performance issues are expected to be addressed with patches in the coming weeks, and it will likely still perform somewhat decently in terms of player count due to its release via Game Pass, but traditional first-week sales could be impacted.

More Microsoft news:

• The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the UK, citing concerns about the company's current dominance of the cloud gaming market as a sufficient reason to prevent the deal from closing.
• Despite revenue increases from Microsoft's cloud services and server products, the company's Q3 gaming revenue is down 4% year on year, and Xbox hardware revenue is down 30%.
• Management is allegedly "upset" at the current state of Xbox, with Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush reportedly underperforming in sales despite critical acclaim. It’s believed that the game’s shadow launch on Game Pass may have cannibalized its sales.