Hey everyone, I’ve been replaying Dishonored 2 with my partner and it made me realize that this was pretty much the peak for Arkane Studios. Since then, the quality seems to have dropped significantly, especially with games like Deathloop and Prey. The ending of Dishonored 2 felt rushed and didn’t really match the quality of the first game. I have a theory that something went wrong around that time, maybe a key person left the team? Can anyone shed some light on what happened with Arkane Studios?
5 Answers
The founder actually left in 2017, which definitely changed the studio’s direction.
Yeah, another big factor is that Arkane’s games haven’t been selling well, while their budgets have increased. They had to shift how they operated, which may have impacted the quality of their recent titles.
Also, just a heads-up, it’s ‘Arkane’ with a ‘K,’ not ‘Arcane.’ Makes me think of that League of Legends show!
It’s true there was a lot happening around 2016 and 2017; for starters, Raphael Colantonio left the company in 2017 after Prey was released. Meanwhile, Harvey Smith moved to France to lead Dishonored 2. You can find more details about their history on Wikipedia if you’re curious!
Dishonored 2 did feel a bit rushed compared to the first game, right? It seemed to rush things to capitalize on the success, which led to a lot of issues at launch. Plus, there was some turbulence after Colantonio stayed in Texas while Smith moved to France, leading to a shift in leadership that some fans believe hurt the game’s development.
Yeah, it sounds like they prioritized getting the game out over polishing it, which really showed! Seems like it was a bit of a downward spiral from there.