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PS5 version of Redfall dropped after Xbox acquisition of ZeniMax

Update: Microsoft claims it has not pulled any titles from PlayStation platforms

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Update, March 24, 2023: Microsoft issued a statement claiming it has not removed any games by Xbox-owned studios from PlayStation platforms.

"We haven't pulled any games from PlayStation," a spokesperson told Eurogamer. "In fact, we've expanded our footprint of games that we've shipped on Sony's PlayStation since our acquisition of ZeniMax, and the first two games we shipped after closing were PlayStation 5 exclusives. We did the same thing since our closing of Minecraft as we extended the reach of that franchise.

"All of the games that were available on PlayStation when we acquired ZeniMax in March 2021 are still available on PlayStation, and we have continued to do content updates on PlayStation and PC. We have always said that future decisions on whether to distribute ZeniMax games for other consoles will be made on a case-by-case basis."

Original story, March 23, 2023: Arkane Studio's upcoming shooter Redfall was previously in development for the PlayStation 5; it was scrapped after Microsoft bought Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media.

As reported by IGN, per IGN France, Harvey Smith, Redfall's game director, said that the development focus for the title shifted after the acquisition.

Smith said, "We got bought by Microsoft, and that was a huge sea change. They said no PlayStation 5. Now we're gonna do Game Pass, Xbox, and PC."

In a statement sent to IGN, a Microsoft representative said, "we haven't pulled any games from PlayStation."

They add, "All of the games that were available on PlayStation when we acquired ZeniMax in March 2021 are still available on PlayStation, and we have continued to do content updates on PlayStation and PC."

A month after ZeniMax was purchased, Xbox head Phil Spencer said, "This deal was not done to take games away from another player base like that."

Regarding Bethesda titles releasing on the PlayStation 5, Microsoft honored the timed console exclusives for Arkane's Deathloop, launched in September 2021, and Tangowork's Ghostwire: Tokyo, released on March 2022.