Arkane Austin, the studio behind Redfall, reportedly had a roadmap that was actively being worked on to improve the game before it was revealed that Xbox would be shutting down four studios, including Arkane Austin.

According to an IGN report, the team was working on DLC for the game and a series of updates that were expected to be released soon. But due to recent events, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see the studio’s work come to light. Prior to the studio closing, players would have received two new characters who were a part of the Hero Pass by Halloween.

One of these updates would have included an offline mode that was teased in the past. In an interview with Eurogamer, Harvey Smith, the game director of Redfall, said that the team was “looking into and working actively toward fixing that in the future.”

Thankfully, Arkane Studios has announced that those who purchased the Bit Back Editon, which sold for $100 USD, “will be eligible to receive the value of the upgrade” on the official Arkane Studios X/Twitter account. For more information on how to claim your credit, click here.

The news that Xbox was closing down four of its studios shocked many people, including multiple game developers across the industry.

With the LitRPG genre, authors combine the deep storytelling of novels with the game elements of MMOs and RPGs, creating a more interactive experience. Humble’s LitRPG Audiobook Bundle offers as many as 15 of those books, making this a pretty great deal for fans who are looking to fill out their libraries.

The bundle includes 15 different audiobooks that blend RPG mechanics and genre fiction. You’ll even get a few full series. They include the Chronicles of Sir Crabby books, about a sentient crab fighting through an RPG-esque ocean, written by the author of the Noobtown series; the first two entries into the Qi=MC2 series, about a character trapped in a strange world and forced to take on challenges to increase his strength; and the first two Speedrunning the Multiverse books, about a godlike character battling through the multiverse to alleviate his boredom.

The price you choose to pay dictates how many novels you’ll get, and even at cheaper prices, you’re still getting a pretty good deal. Pay $1 and you’ll get Speedrunning the Multiverse: Book 1 by Adastra339. Upping the price to $10 adds Speedrunning the Multiverse: Book 2, as well as Runeseeker and Runeseeker 2, by C.J. Thompson and J.M. Clarke. You get all 17 LitRPGs if you kick the price up to a minimum of $18. Check out the full list below.

You can also find quite a few of these LitRPG offerings, including the Qi=MC2 and Sir Crabby books, included in a Kindle Unlimited subscription, if you’d rather read than listen. In fact, Kindle Unlimited gets you even more books in the Speedrunning the Universe, Qi=MC2, 12 Miles Below, Runeseeker, and Divine Progression series. You can also get them piecemeal on Kindle through Amazon if you’d rather not spring for a Kindle Unlimited subscription, but for more than you’d pay in the Humble bundle.

Best Kindle LitRPG Deals on Amazon

Earlier today, it was revealed that Xbox is shutting down four of its studios. The studios included Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Since the announcement, various developers across the industry have voiced their opinions on the matter.

Dinga Bakaba, the director of Akrane Lyon, shared their thoughts in a series of posts on X/Twitter. Bakaba called Microsoft’s recent decision “absolutely terrible” and continued by saying, “To any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.”

In the same thread, Bakaba pleaded with executives to not “throw us into gold fever gambits, don’t use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don’t make our work environments Darwinist jungles.” As the post continued, Bakaba called the closure of these studios a “fuc*king gut stab.” They continued by saying, “Lyon is safe, but please be tactful and discerning about all this, and respect affected folks’ voice and leave it room to be heard, it’s their story to tell, their feelings to express.”

Bakaba wasn’t the only Xbox employee sounding off, either. Alistair Hatch, the Regional Director for Northern, Eastern, and Southern Europe at Bethesda, took to X/Twitter to say that recent layoffs left them feeling “Angry. Frustrated. Shocked. Furious. Speechless. Dumbfounded. Perplexed.”

Meanwhile, Adam Boyes, the co-CEO of Iron Galaxy Studios, simply shared a screenshot of a GeekWire article from April revealing that Microsoft saw a 17% increase in revenue and declared $21.9 billion in profit in the most recent financial earnings report.

Thomas Mahler, the CEO and game director of Moon Studios, the team behind the Ori series and the upcoming No Rest for the Wicked, went on to explain on X/Twitter that the recent layoffs are the reason why they didn’t “allow Moon Studios to get acquired by a big publisher.” Mahler continued, “I’ve lived through the 90s and saw what happened when smaller studios got acquired by EA. Never again.”

It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t Microsoft’s first round of layoffs this year. Earlier in January, Mircosoft announced that it was cutting 1,900 jobs.

Fanatical’s long-running series of mystery bundles is back with a new offering for risk-takers and those who have fond memories of grab-bags at dollar stores. Mystery Mayhem is loaded with Steam games that you may or may not have heard of before buying. The only way to find out what you’re buying is to order a key–or five, 10, 15, even 20 keys. The more you spend, the less you pay for each key. Pricing starts at $1 for a single key and drops all the way down to 70 cents per game ($14 total) for 20 keys.

“Unleash your inner strategist with immersive tactical gameplay, embark on epic quests filled with twists and turns, or engage in heart-pounding multiplayer battles with friends and foes alike,” Fanatical’s description reads. Between hidden indie gems to blockbuster hits, there are also several high-value bundles sprinkled into the mix. These bundles include: Helldivers 2’s Super Citizen Edition, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition, and Persona 3 Reload.

It’s a good time to dive into the PC version of Helldivers 2, one of the best games of 2024 so far, especially since Sony has reversed course on its unpopular PSN integration plans.

It’s worth noting that if you purchase one mystery bundle, you will receive different games regardless of how many games you get, but purchasing multiple bundles through one or more orders opens up the possibility for getting duplicates of certain games.

For more great deals at Fanatical, check out the retailer’s May Madness Sale. Alongside discounts on thousands of PC games, anyone spending $12 or more gets to use the May Madness Spin to Win wheel to earn free games, coupons, or other special bonuses, if luck is on their side. It’s worth noting that the vast majority of games and bundles, including the awesome Fallout bundle, are eligible for the Spin to Win promotion, but Mystery Mayhem is excluded.

Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.

The Humble Choice lineup for May 2024 is now live, and while there are some amazing games included, the timing for one of the picks is awkward, to say the least. But before we get into all that, let’s go over the eight games Humble Choice members can download this month. Note that all eight games are available at no extra charge as part of the $12/month Humble Choice subscription, and they’re all yours to keep forever, even after you cancel.

Humble Choice May 2024

• Yakuza: Like a Dragon
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Steelrising
• Loddlenaut
• King of the Castle
• Bravery and Greed
• Amanda the Adventurer
• Mediterannea Inferno

Headlining this month are the fan-favorite turn-based RPG Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the character action-meets-rhythm game mashup Hi-Fi Rush, and the steampunk Souls-like action-RPG Steelrising.

While these games are stellar inclusions, Hi-Fi Rush’s presence in the roster happens to land on the same day that Microsoft shut down the game’s development studio, Tango Gameworks, alongside three other Microsoft-owned studios, including Arkane Austin, the studio behind Prey and Redfall. Both studio closures are devastating, but Tango Gameworks is particularly surprising considering Hi-Fi Rush was a critical and financial success, and makes the game’s presence in this month’s Humble Choice collection feel… well, a little strange, to say the least. That said, Hi-Fi Rush’s inclusion in Humble Choice means this beautiful game will reach even more players than it already has.

It’s worth noting that Hi-Fi Rush, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Steelrising are all available as part of Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service. However, if you’re not a Game Pass member or you recently canceled, this Humble Choice offer is worth grabbing since–unlike Game Pass–you can keep these games forever.

That also goes for the other games in this month’s lineup, which is surprisingly varied. If you’re looking for something wholesome, the undersea adventure Loddlenaut lets you explore the ocean floor and befriend sea life. Meanwhile, action-RPG fans can check out the side-scrolling roguelite dungeon crawler Bravery and Greed. Meanwhile, King of the Castle is a hand-animated multiplayer deduction game that’s perfect for parties or streaming. The mind-bending visual novel Mediterranea Inferno and the creepy adventure game Amanda the Adventurer round out the pack with some spooky vibes. On top of the games, the May 2024 Humble Choice collection also includes a $10 voucher for the IGN Live in-person event happening in LA June 7-9.

Everything in the Humble Choice May 2024 lineup is available now to all Humble Choice subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, you can join Humble Choice for $12/month and immediately download all the Humble Choice offerings, plus get all the other membership perks like exclusive Humble store discounts and access to the Humble Vault which has 50 more games you can play for free as long as you’re a member. The extra savings even apply to select games during Humble’s big seasonal sales, including the Humble Bundle Spring 2024 sale event that runs until May 21.

There are many live-service games out there, and some of them are quietly raking in millions (or even billions) of dollars without much fanfare. According to ZeniMax Online studio director Matt Firor, The Elder Scrolls Online is one of those games, and he pointed to its $2 billion in cumulative consumer spend (first announced at this year’s GDC) as evidence of this.

“ESO isn’t often talked about as one of the successful live-service games,” Firor told GamesRadar in a recent interview. “But it is, it very much is on just about every level.” He further said that the studio revealed the $2 billion stat was intended “mostly to shine a light on the game.”

Now Playing: The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road – Peril in West Weald Trailer