Redfall, Arkane Austin’s co-op vampire shooter. Arguably ill-fated from the get-go and marred by performance issues at launch, the game largely only remains notable for its failure to take off, having disappeared into relative obscurity since its release back in May. When I say ‘obscurity,’ though, I didn’t expect to find that, if you’re playing on Steam, there are times of day when you won’t actually be able to form a full co-op lobby because there aren’t enough people playing.
Redfall is, at its core, a multiplayer game. While you can grind through the overarching narrative solo, there’s nothing quite like rushing head-on into a nest of ravenous vampires and liberating it from their cool, undead clutches.
Unfortunately, the game’s rather ugly performance issues and lackluster deviations from what developer Arkane does so well meant that it failed to become the next live service hit, banishing it firmly to the annals of history and slamming that particular chapter of Arkane Austin’s generally stellar portfolio shut. However, what I didn’t realize is just how bad the game, which we rather liked in our Redfall review, is seemingly faring – until now.
Over the past few days, Redfall’s Steam player count has dropped to three players – yes, seriously. That means that, if you’re looking to jump in and find a lobby online without crossplay, then you’re really going to struggle.
And, unfortunately, its peak player count isn’t much better. In the past 24 hours, Steam Charts notes that only 34 people took a trip to Redfall, with that number increasing to 48 in the past 30 days. Ouch.
It really is a shame. I love vampire games – the Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 release date cannot come quick enough. In my own Redfall preview I praised the game’s narrative and character design, but unfortunately it failed to live up to my expectations. I played a little bit on Game Pass, but it fell by the wayside for yet another VTM Bloodlines playthrough, and I’ve never touched it since.
If you’re looking for some other Game Pass adventures to tide you over, we have a list of all of the current PC Game Pass games, as well as some free Steam games if you’re looking to save some cash.