Developer Arkane Studios’ Lyon location may actually be spared from Microsoft’s draconian and ongoing cuts across multiple departments. Back in July, the electronics giant announced it was going to divest from the studio behind the Dishonored games, potentially laying off hundreds in the process and killing Marvel’s Blade. And even though it looked like Arkane Lyon would close for good, there’s reportedly a bidding war going on to save the legendary immersive sim studio.
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According to a new report from Bloomberg, there are at least a few different parties interested in buying the Arkane Lyon. Ubisoft — the publisher known for Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, Far Cry, and Rayman — is the only named company here, but it is reportedly competing with at least two other unnamed entities, as well as possibly Arkane’s own management. While Ubisoft doesn’t typically make games Arkane specializes in, the two do at least have the shared trait of being based in France. It’s unclear what the terms of the potential deals are, though, and Xbox is still reportedly still weighing its options. No party involved has officially confirmed Bloomberg’s reporting yet, either.
Arkane Lyon and Its Blade Game May Be Saved
But confirmation one way or another will inevitably come out soon, as there is a ticking clock here, too. Because of labor laws in France that mandate big companies to find buyers for facilities they want to shut down — a luxury not present in other parts of the world — Microsoft has to go through a consultation process. This initially had a November 13th deadline before being extended for another month.
Given how multiple players are interested in Arkane Studios’ Lyon location, it seems — even in this hostile environment — the studio is going to be able to live on and at least finish its Blade game that is, according to Bloomberg, expected to come out in the next year or two. Many were quite worried about the status of both the developer and game, given the history the former and the appeal of the latter. This switch would also potentially mean a PS5 version is in the cards for Marvel’s Blade, as it would no longer be part of Xbox’s newfound commitment to console exclusives.
Most of the other studios Xbox has loose alongside Arkane Lyon have land on their feet. Double Fine, Undead Labs, and Compulsion Games all went independent again, although the former two developers underwent some layoffs as a result. However, Senua developer Ninja Theory appears as though it is shutting down after multiple deals fell through.
Arkane Lyon is at least in a better spot than its Texas-based sister studio, which wasn’t fortunate enough to exist a country with strong labor laws. Xbox closed down Arkane Austin in 2024 after its vampire-filled cooperative shooter Redfall was met with widespread disdain the previous year. Even though it received updates that patched up some of its shortcomings, many viewed Redfall as a soulless shooter that didn’t play to the studio’s strengths. The game also received “minimal sales” and caused former Xbox CEO Phil Spencer to apologize and say he was “disappointed” and “upset with [himself].”
Arkane Lyon hasn’t shown much of Marvel’s Blade. It had its debut trailer at The Game Awards in 2023, but it’s been more or less off the grid since. Fitting with its team’s location and potential new buyer, it does take place in Paris, though, and it will be, unlike Arkane’s other games, played from a third-person perspective.
Are you excited that Arkane Lyon may indeed be saved? And will you play its upcoming Blade game? Tell us in the comments.
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Image via Rockstar Games
