Redfall will not include an in-game store or microtransactions

Arkane Studio Austin’s vampire-hunting shooter will not include any form of store or microtransactions according to the studio.

The details:

• Back in September 2021, screenshots of a Redfall playtest leaked online, revealing that the open-world game featured an in-game "Item Shop". This was immediately met with criticism from fans, but it appears that since that playtest, Arkane, Bethesda, and/or parent company Microsoft have changed their minds and removed the store entirely. Redfall's creative director, Harvey Smith, told Wccftech that there are "no microtransactions and "no stores in the game," and that if a player finds any cosmetics in the game, they "can have it, as simple as that.”
• Smith also stated that Redfall would be Arkane's "most supported game post-launch," and that the studio chose a server model to allow for gameplay adjustments based on player data. Smith stated that Arkane has a "strong year of updates" of DLC and extra content planned for the future, including new guns, costumes, monsters, characters, and more. Smith addressed concerns about the always-online model in an interview with Eurogamer, confirming that the developers are "working actively" on a solution, aiming to make an offline, single-player mode possible.
• After being delayed following its reveal at Bethesda's E3 showcase in 2021, Redfall is set to release on May 2, 2023. The game will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC, with no PlayStation 5 release, though Arkane was working on a PlayStation 5 version before Microsoft acquired Bethesda. On launch day, the game will also be available for free to Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Other upcoming games:

• Respawn Entertainment is developing three new Star Wars projects, including a single-player first-person shooter. According to a recent set of job listings, the game will be inspired by the Jedi Knight series of shooters, though the extent of that inspiration is unknown. Throughout its five-game run in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Jedi Knight series was a hit with both fans and critics.
• Counter-Strike 2 has been officially announced. The Source 2-powered sequel to 2012's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is already being tested with a small group of players and will be officially released in the summer of 2023. So far, reactions to the game have been generally positive, with many praising the game's new smoke mechanics and visuals.