Dishonored 2, one of the most celebrated Bethesda titles from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 era, has unexpectedly received a small update across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. Released towards the end of 2016, Dishonored 2 builds on the success of its 2012 predecessor by introducing a new playable character, Emily Kaldwin, and delivering standout missions like The Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in the Slab, which are renowned for their innovative gameplay mechanics and detailed settings.
Developed by Arkane Lyon, the studio behind Dishonored 2, also gained acclaim with their 2021 release, Deathloop. Unfortunately, their sister studio, Arkane Austin, was impacted by the 2024 Xbox studio closures, affecting teams such as Roundhouse Studios, Alpha Dog Games, and Tango Gameworks, with the latter later being revived by Korean publisher Krafton. Arkane Austin was responsible for the original Dishonored, the 2017 sci-fi game Prey, and the 2023 co-op looter shooter Redfall, which received mixed reviews. Despite these setbacks, Arkane Lyon continues to thrive and is currently focused on developing Marvel's Blade in partnership with Marvel Games.
Out of the blue, Dishonored 2 fans noticed a recent small update for the game on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam. This patch, weighing in at just 230MB, appears to focus on bug fixes and language updates according to SteamDB. However, on Xbox, the update necessitates a complete reinstallation of the game, totaling 40GB.
Dishonored 2 Receives a Surprise New Update, but Not a 60 FPS Mode
While the exact purpose of this unexpected update remains unclear, many fans are disappointed that it does not include the much-anticipated performance enhancement to 60 FPS. Interestingly, nearly all other Arkane titles can run at 60 FPS on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, yet Dishonored 2 remains capped at 30 FPS. The original Dishonored and the standalone spinoff, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, released in 2017, both benefit from performance boosts allowing them to run at 60 FPS on current-gen consoles. There's speculation that Arkane Lyon might release a 60 FPS patch for Dishonored 2 to coincide with its tenth anniversary in 2026, though waiting that long for such an update might not satisfy fans.
The community has been eagerly awaiting a third mainline Dishonored game, but with the closure of Arkane Austin, the timeline for new Arkane titles could be significantly delayed. Meanwhile, Arkane Lyon is diligently working on their upcoming third-person game, Marvel's Blade, though a release date has yet to be announced.
