Xbox-owned studio Arkane Austin is returning to the immersive sim genre after the disasterous release of its co-op vampire game Redfall. Previously known for its amazing Prey reboot, the Austin branch of the Dishonoured developer is returning to its core.
A new job listing for the studio reveals that the Prey developer is not following the co-op trend any longer. After years of Redfall development led to the departure of many employees, Arkane Austin is going back to its critically acclaimed roots.
The job listing calls for a lead technical engineer, a developer that will implement tools and systems integral to game development, help meet performance targets and much more across PC and consoles, meaning Xbox.
However, the job listing also states that the employee must be familiar with “single player action-RPGs and immersive sims”, the genre that Arkane Austin is most known for. While Redfall does have some semblance of immersive sim design in a few minor locations, it was more of a Borderlands-style looter shooter than the studio’s bread-and-butter.
Curiously, Arkane’s job listing does state that the upcoming developer will need to have experience with “network and online features”. This could hint at the studio’s next project being an immersive sim with some co-op or multiplayer elements, similar to Arkane Lyon’s Deathloop.
After the insulting result of Redfall, Arkane Austin’s returns to its roots is a pleasant surprise. The release of Prey already turned the studio into one of the most promising studios in the industry, and we’re incredibly excited to see what they create next. After all, Redfall is just one mistake, and everyone is confident the studio’s next project will be something special.
Now owned by Xbox following the console brand’s acquisition of Bethesda, Arkane’s next game will inevitably be an Xbox console exclusive. The game will also launch day one on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service as well as Xbox Cloud Gaming.