Dishonored 2, one of the most acclaimed Bethesda titles from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 era, has unexpectedly received a new update for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Released in late 2016, this sequel to the beloved 2012 original introduced a new playable character, Emily Kaldwin, and featured standout missions like The Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in the Slab, which were celebrated for their innovative gameplay and detailed settings.

Developed by Arkane Lyon, the studio behind the critically acclaimed Deathloop in 2021, Dishonored 2's latest update is surprisingly modest. Weighing in at just 230MB, the patch primarily focuses on bug fixes and language updates. However, for Xbox players, the update requires a full reinstallation of the entire 40GB game. While SteamDB indicates the update affects the game's language depots, the exact nature of the changes remains somewhat unclear.

The update, although welcome, has left many fans disappointed as it does not include the much-anticipated 60 FPS mode. Despite other Arkane titles, including the original Dishonored and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, being capable of running at 60 FPS on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, Dishonored 2 remains locked at 30 FPS. Fans are hopeful that Arkane Lyon might release a performance-enhancing update, perhaps coinciding with the game's tenth anniversary in 2026, though waiting that long for a simple FPS boost might be too much to ask.

In the broader context, Arkane Lyon's sister studio, Arkane Austin, faced closure in 2024 as part of Xbox's studio shutdowns, which also affected Roundhouse Studios, Alpha Dog Games, and Tango Gameworks. Arkane Austin was responsible for the original Dishonored, the 2017 sci-fi adventure Prey, and the 2023 co-op looter shooter Redfall, which received poor reviews. Fortunately, Arkane Lyon continues to operate and is currently developing Marvel's Blade in collaboration with Marvel Games, though no release date has been announced yet.

While the community eagerly awaits news of a potential third mainline Dishonored game, the closure of Arkane Austin suggests that any new entries in the series could be years away, if they happen at all. For now, fans can only speculate and hope that Arkane Lyon's focus on Marvel's Blade will eventually pave the way for more Dishonored content in the future.