The file size for Arkane Studios' Deathloop has been revealed and, surprisingly, it is compact. The upcoming timed PlayStation 5 exclusive was originally supposed to release in August but was delayed until September. Apart from the delay news, not much has been reported about Deathloop lately, until now.
Previously, there was some concern about Deathloop's exclusivity after Xbox acquired Arkane's parent company, ZeniMax Media. However, Xbox was quick to dispel any suspicions around the game's timed exclusivity. Since then, it has been quiet in the Deathloop news department; during Xbox and Bethesda's massive, joint E3 2021 conference, the game was not featured at all.
Yesterday, Twisted Voxel reported that the game's file size had been leaked by the PlayStation store. According to Twisted Voxel's report, "The file size of the game was confirmed through a recent listing on the PlayStation servers where the game was revealed to be 16.1 GB." For a game releasing in 2021 that is not an indie game, 16 gigabytes is an incredibly small file size. Earlier, it was reported that Deathloop might include haptic feedback, as well as other new features for the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. Apparently, including these features has not impacted the game's size much, if at all.
For comparison, another PS5 exclusive, Returnal, launched in April with a file size of 56 GB. Additionally, the recently released Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launched with a file size of 33 GB, which was also considered relatively small. Depending on what Arkane has planned, it is possible Deathloop's file size will increase over time. Arkane Studios' previous title, Prey, eventually received two separate expansions after its release that added new content and game modes, so it is reasonable to suspect Deathloop may get the same treatment.
Deathloop's gameplay appears to be relatively simple. It will incorporate some Dishonored mechanics as well, such as powers and weapon upgrades, but will only feature four maps. Granted, these four maps can be visited at four different times of day, which will trigger different timed events, for a total of 16 different map variations. What this means is that, while there may not be a lot of assets or code in those 16 GB, the data that is already there will make for an efficient experience meant to be repeated by players.
Going back to the Dishonored comparisons, Dishonored 2 also received a standalone expansion after release, so that could potentially be in Deathloop's future, which would drive up the file size. For fans of the Dishonored series, all of these comparisons could either be good news, or promises of false hope. Players will just have to wait for all 16 GB of Deathloop to release in September to find out.
Source: Twisted Voxel