'Redfall' won't be "abandoned" by Bethesda despite its disaster launch.
The first-person shooter, which was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on May 2, had a negative response, with Xbox Game Studios boss Phil Spencer admitting to letting fans down.
However, Bethesda executive Pete Hines has insisted it has not given up on the title.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, he said: “We are always in a process of learning, so that’s not new for us.
“We don’t like failing to meet our players’ expectations.
“At the same time, we are the same company that has had launches that didn’t go the way we wanted, and we don’t quit or abandon stuff just because it didn’t start right.”
Vowing to turn the game around, he added: “The Elder Scrolls Online’s PC launch was not flawless but we stuck with it.
“Now it’s like this insanely popular multiplatform. It’s the same with Fallout 76. Redfall is no different for us.
“Okay, we didn’t get the start we wanted, but it’s still a fun game, and we’re going to keep working on it. We’re going to do 60 frames per second.
“We’re going to get it to be a good game because we know, as a first-party studio, Game Pass lives forever. There will be people 10 years from now who are going to join Game Pass, and Redfall will be there.”
Spencer had told 'Kinda Funny Games': “We do mock reviews for every game that we launch, and this is double digits lower than where we thought we would be with this game.
“That’s one of the disappointing things: we would never strive to launch a game that we thought was going to review in the low 60s — it’s not part of our goals.
"But I also know that these games are $70 [£60], and I’m going to take full responsibility for launching a game that needs to be great.
“We let a lot of people down this week with the launch of the game, but we will continue to strive on. You have to — that’s what creativity is about.”
The business executive believes part of the game's plight is down to Microsoft’s 2021 acquisition of Bethesda.
He explained: “We didn’t do a good job early on in engaging Arkane Austin to really help them understand what it meant to be part of Xbox and part of first-party, and use some of our internal resources to help them move along that journey even faster.
“We should’ve been there for Harvey [Smith] and the team earlier — I think that’s on us.
“Then through the process, it’s an Unreal [Engine] game: we have a bunch of studios that have done some really great work on Unreal over the years, and I think we were too late to help in that when they had certain issues.”
Some of the issues include below par AI and performance glitches.
Despite the hiccups, Spencer anticipates Austin making a second game and has vowed to continue supporting the title.