Microsoft’s shocking decision in May to close a collection of Bethesda-adjacent studios saw Dishonored and Redfall developers Arcane Austin suddenly closed down, before the studio was able to complete Redfall’s promised content. Those who bought the game’s never-to-be-released Hero DLC are now, a month later, being issued their refunds.
Things already weren’t going great for Redfall. The studio, better known for its astonishing immersive sims like Dishonored and Prey, didn’t hit the mark when it came to the vampiric co-op shooter. The game launched with all sorts of problems, and while Arcane Austin continued to work on it for a year after its release, its potential was never achieved. Part of that included the Hero DLC, intended to be included in a version for which people had paid $100.
Come the announcement of Microsoft’s ghastly decision to shutter the talented studio, alongside Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Studios, there were promises of a “make-good” offer from the mega-corp. Those who bought the Bite Back version of Redfall were promised some sort of recompense, but it was deeply ambiguous at the time.
It’s now known this is—thankfully—in the form of getting their money back. According to many on Reddit, those who bought the DLC (whether in the form of the deluxe edition, or via an upgrade on Game Pass) are finding the money reappearing in their accounts, via the payment method used to buy it. This is confirmed by Bethesda to be happening whether people have requested refunds or not, if the DLC was purchased via Xbox, Microsoft, Epic or Steam.
If you didn’t buy the Hero DLC from any of those sources, according to Bethesda’s support site, you’ll need to file a ticket with Bethesda to receive your refund. If you bought a physical edition, Bethesda says to “contact your retailer to request a refund or store credit for the Bite Back DLC.” Er, good luck convincing your local independent gaming store to honor a year-old receipt. However, Bethesda adds that “if you still require assistance,” you can submit a ticket.
Arkane Austin were able to put out one final update for Redfall, that allowed the game to be played offline, even after Microsoft shuttered the studio. A source closely involved in this told me “so much work went into [the update],” and of their relief that it was able to launch.
.
