Marvel’s Blade is a game that has been in perpetual limbo at developer Arkane Studios, the team behind other great titles like Deathloop, Prey, and the Dishonored series. Ever since the 2023 tease of Marvel’s Blade at the Game Awards, players have been eager to see the brutal and mature third-person game about this vampire hunter set in the heart of Paris. However, huge internal changes at Microsoft and Xbox have greatly impacted Arkane, possibly putting Blade’s game on the shelf indefinitely.
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Xbox just announced one of the largest round of gaming industry layoffs ever, with 3,200+ people being let go across multiple studios. Along with other big studios under Microsoft’s umbrella, Arkane was also hit with huge cuts due to this “reset” or “restructure” Xbox is trying to do. Considering Arkane Studios was acquired by Xbox in 2021, it is one of the most recent collaborations that have fallen apart due to this targeted reset of Xbox’s business approach to gaming.
Arkane Studios Is One Of The Teams Heavily Impacted By Xbox’s Massive Layoff Reset
Xbox’s current layoffs are part of “the most significant restructure in Xbox history,” according to an email sent by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. After many clarifications about how the Xbox business system isn’t healthy and how content priorities are shifting, the email goes on to talk about some studios directly. Arkane Studios is mentioned in this email, with the statement “Arkane’s management is beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options.” This is a lot of business speak, but to put things bluntly, this means that Xbox and Arkane are likely parting ways.
This conclusion comes from how Xbox has split from other groups, like Compulsion Games and Double Fine, two other development teams. Those companies are going independent, while studios like Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are being sold into some sort of new ownership. Games like State of Decay 3 and a new Senua title are reportedly still likely to be supported when Undead Labs and Ninja Theory are sold, but everything surrounding their new ownership is fairly nebulous right now. Other groups within Xbox that still remain are being downsized too, such as Bethesda, Blizzard, Activision, Mojang, and more.
In Arkane’s case, this restructure at the very least could pause any of their current projects until they find their own “reset” within or outside of Xbox. Out of all the groups affected by the Xbox changes, Arkane Studios remains the most vague, with the state of their projects not confirmed to still remain ongoing like other groups. Given how Xbox’s listed goals are to become less fragmented across its teams, it’s unlikely that Arkane’s talented staff will be working with them for much longer.
“Potential Strategic Options” From Arkane Sees Them In Negotiation With Microsoft
The only reason why Arkane Studios hasn’t been sold or gone independent like the other Xbox Studios is due to the “required consultation” Asha Sharma mentioned in her email. Unlike some of the other studios, Arkane is located in France, which subscribes to different business laws than other regions. A sudden change like Xbox is trying to implement likely has to go through far more hurdles in France, giving Arkane hopefully more time to make plans for the future.
Every piece of context about Arkane and Xbox’s current relationship suggest that Microsoft has no intention of supporting the development studio any further. Arkane Studios could suffer more layoffs in any type of transition, whether it decides to go independent or gets bought out by another company similar to Xbox. Unfortunately, Arkane may not have the resources to become independent like Double Fine or Compulsion Games, with some employees likely leaving during whatever shift Arkane goes through anyway.
France’s Specific Laws Regarding Businesses Might Save Marvel’s Blade In The Long Run
All of the negotiations with Microsoft aside, Arkane’s continued survival through legal obstacles might give them enough time to find support away from Xbox. Thankfully, the wait in Arkane’s fate might prevent the studio from closing entirely, even if it costs time and money to keep the lights on while the Microsoft separation happens. The consultation with a Work Council might give Arkane the resources they need too, with the specific laws tied between Arkane and Microsoft’s international acquisition possibly leading to a settlement they can use to keep their projects in development.
That being said, nothing is certain, especially surrounding Marvel’s Blade. Arkane Studios might want to cut their losses and shelf this game, focusing on other projects that they can release independently. It’s possible that one of the legal hurdles around Marvel’s Blade is that it was being made under Xbox management, so this shift with Arkane’s place in the Microsoft ecosystem could influence how, when, and if it comes out.
Considering that this game has likely been in development for 4-5 years at this point, it would be a shame to see Xbox’s decisions cancel one of the most anticipated titles connected to the Marvel character. The public announcement of this title brings some hope around its continuation, but even fan outcry might not save it depending on where Arkane Studios ends up after agreements with Xbox are made. Marvel’s Blade seems more and more like a cursed game, fated to endure or fall to some of the most absurd shifts the gaming industry has ever seen.
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