Marvel’s Blade in Jeopardy as Arkane Studios Looks for New Buyer Following Xbox Layoffs
· Vice
The Xbox layoffs are now underway, and Arkane Studios has emerged as one of the biggest casualties. According to reports, Microsoft is looking for a new buyer for the studio after Marvel’s Blade reportedly exceeded its budget.
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Xbox Layoffs Put Arkane’s Future in Doubt
Screenshot: XboxMicrosoft has just announced that they are cutting over 20% of the Xbox workforce by the end of the fiscal year. Over 3,200 employees are being let go in the Xbox layoffs, and four major studios are being sold, including: Ninja Theory, Double Fine, Compulsion Games, and Undead Labs. However, according to a letter from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Arkane Studios is also in jeopardy.
“In France, Arkane’s management is beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options.” As far as what this means, Windows Central reports that Microsoft is in talks with the French government to see if there is a way to avoid closing the studio and save Marvel’s Blade with additional funding or potential other strategic support.
Screenshot: XboxHowever, Bloomberg’s report on the situation seems to imply that Microsoft is looking at either spinning off, or selling the studio all together. Interestingly, Jason Schreier also explained that because Arkane is based in Lyon France, there are stricter labor laws that have delayed Microsoft’s negotiations on handling the studios future. Apparently, this is a big reason Arkane wasn’t included in the four studios that were sold off in today’s Xbox layoffs.
What the Xbox Layoffs Mean for Marvel’s Blade
At the time of writing, Marvel’s Blade appears to be in serious trouble as its future is in jeopardy following the Xbox layoffs. While Microsoft was vague in its letter about the Marvel game itself, the publisher is reportedly in direct talks with the French government to save Arkane from being closed down. That means, it’s more likely that the studio gets sold off, or finds funding to remain in business until it can be spun off.
According to a report from The Verge, Marvel’s Blade was internally delayed at Xbox after it went over budget. While we don’t have additional information about what went wrong with the game’s development, several insiders say that Arkane exceeded funding for the game to such a degree, that it played a major role in Microsoft deciding to sell or close the studio down.
Arkane Studios was originally acquired by Xbox under Phil Spencer in 2021. The Dishonored developer was included in the Bethesda / ZeniMax Media purcahse, which Microsoft paid $7.5 billion for. In today’s letter, Asha Sharma said that while studios like Arkane added “meaningful value” to Xbox gaming, they also didn’t grow “at the pace” they had expected.
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