Summary
- Dishonored 2 unexpectedly received a small update for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
- The patch is quite small and appears to include bug fixes and language updates.
- Arkane Lyon is currently working on Marvel's Blade.
One of the most highly acclaimed Bethesda titles from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 era, Dishonored 2, has received a surprising update, albeit not the one many fans were eagerly anticipating. Released towards the end of 2016, Dishonored 2 built on the success of its 2012 predecessor by introducing a new playable character, Emily Kaldwin. Notable missions such as The Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in the Slab captured gamers' imaginations with their innovative gameplay mechanics and detailed settings.
Arkane Lyon, the developer behind Dishonored 2, later gained further recognition with the release of Deathloop in 2021. However, its sister studio, Arkane Austin, faced closure in 2024 as part of broader Xbox studio shutdowns that also affected Roundhouse Studios, Alpha Dog Games, and Tango Gameworks, the latter of which was later revived by Korean publisher Krafton. Arkane Austin had previously developed the original Dishonored, the 2017 sci-fi game Prey, and the 2023 co-op looter shooter Redfall, which received mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Arkane Lyon continues to operate and is actively developing Marvel's Blade in partnership with Marvel Games.
Out of the blue, fans noticed that Dishonored 2 received a minor update across Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam platforms. This patch, weighing in at just 230MB, seems to address minor bugs and includes updates to the game's language depots, according to SteamDB. However, on Xbox, the update necessitates a full reinstall of the entire 40GB game.
Dishonored 2 Receives a Surprise New Update, but Not a 60 FPS Mode
The exact purpose of this unexpected update for Dishonored 2 remains somewhat mysterious, yet many fans are disappointed as it does not include the much-desired performance enhancement. While almost all other Arkane games can run at 60 FPS on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, Dishonored 2 remains locked at 30 FPS. Both the original Dishonored and its standalone expansion, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, released in 2017, benefit from performance boosts allowing 60 FPS on newer consoles. Fans speculate that Arkane Lyon might be planning a 60 FPS update for Dishonored 2's tenth anniversary in 2026, though waiting that long for such a patch might not satisfy the community's expectations.
The prospect of a third mainline Dishonored game seems distant, particularly with the closure of Arkane Austin likely to impact the pace of Arkane's game development. Currently, Arkane Lyon is focused on their upcoming third-person title, Marvel's Blade, which does not yet have a confirmed release date.
