By now, most fans know Deathloop is technically a spin-off of the Dishonored franchise. But, as it turns out, the connection between Deathloop and Dishonored runs deeper than taking place in the same universe.
According to Arkane Studios' co-founder, Raphaël Colantonio, Deathloop only became a thing because the studio didn't want to work on Dishonored 3.
Speaking to RockPaperShotgun, Colantonio talked about how Deathloop came to life. In his words, Bethesda Softworks, the studio's parent company, wanted Arkane to do something. So, the studio decided to "make something simple and short" and go on from there.
Eventually, as Arkane worked on Deathloop, it took elements from Mooncrash, a DLC for Prey, and it no longer ended up being a stopgap.
By the end of development, Colantonio claims that Deathloop would've cost as much as Dishonored 3 to make.