Microsoft swung for the fences in its presentation at E3 2021. Although not everything fans were necessarily hoping for was there, as Microsoft didn't have anything new to say about far-flung titles like Fable or Avowed, critical games like Bethesda's new sci-fi IP Starfield were there. Bethesda didn't have much to say about new games, particularly the mysterious and hotly anticipated Elder Scrolls 6but a Bethesda studio took up the final announcement slot in the Microsoft conference. Arkane Studios, the ground behind Dishonored and Prey, is working on a new IP called Redfall that appears to be an action-packed vampire hunting extravaganza.

Arkane Studios, like Bethesda, was a property of ZeniMax Media until Microsoft acquired ZeniMax, so Arkane got integrated into Xbox Game Studios at the same time as Bethesda Games Studios. That means the Xbox exclusive Redfall parallels Bethesda and Starfield's transitions into Xbox exclusivity. However, that's not the only way that Redfall resembles Bethesda proper. Oddly enough, Redfall has a weird connection to a major Elder Scrolls 6 leak that took the internet by storm in the middle of 2020. Although the leak has long since been proven false, hilariously, Redfall still shares its name with a fictional full title for The Elder Scrolls 6 make up by a Reddit user.

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Reviewing the Elder Scrolls 6 'Leak'

elder scrolls fake

In spring of 2020, a member of the r/BethesdaSoftworks subreddit called ToddIsMyMom claimed to have detailed, exclusive information about The Elder Scrolls 6 and poured a massive leak onto the subreddit. The user claimed that the game's full name was The Elder Scrolls 6: Redfall, and shared detailed information about everything from the game's sprawling setting to a revamped crafting system. For a long time, this leaker insisted the leak was true and even provided a fake NDA to try to bolster their credibility. Since then, though, the leaker admitted that they made up the leak about The Elder Scrolls 6: Redfall, and apologized for misleading Bethesda fans.

However, the Elder Scrolls: Redfall leak was built on one important kernel of truth. For a while, Bethesda fans did think that the phrase 'Redfall' had something to do with Elder Scrolls. That's because ZeniMax Media got in a dispute with an author named Jay Falconer who is known for a book series called Redfall. The dispute didn't actually reveal what ZeniMax wanted to use the title for, but fans thought it seemed likely that ZeniMax was trying to recure the Redfall moniker for its star studio, Bethesda. Thanks to Microsoft's E3 presentation, fans now know that ZeniMax really was planning on calling a game Redfall, but it wasn't for Elder Scrolls or even Bethesda -- it was for Arkane's new vampire game.

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Redfall's Strange and Funny Journey

If any longtime Bethesda or ZeniMax fans feel Redfall's title is awfully familiar, that's clearly why. The Elder Scrolls 6: Redfall was one of the hottest leaks of the RPG's history, even though it's long since been proven irrelevant to what Bethesda is working on internally. Even though the real Redfall is a completely different fantasy experience from TES, it might always have a weird connection to Bethesda's world via this title mix-up. Although last year's leaker made a good gamble on Redfall being Bethesda's title of choice, they were aiming for the wrong ZeniMax studio.

Now that the industry knows that Redfall actually is, there's cause to be excited about it. Redfall looks like a pretty interesting concept; vampire media isn't at its apex anymore, so it might offer a refreshing contrast to things like zombie games that continue to rule the game industry. Redfall also proves that Arkane Studios is really keeping busy, since it's working on this at the same time as the sci-fi shooter DeathloopIt's nice to finally know what Redfall is, albeit a long time after ZeniMax fought to secure the name. Maybe Arkane and Bethesda can collaborate on an Elder Scrolls Easter egg to poke fun at the Redfall mixup.

Redfall is scheduled to release in 2022 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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