Microsoft intends to divest from Dishonored and Marvel's Blade developer Arkane Studios as part of its mass layoffs at Xbox and other Microsoft divisions. Because Arkane is based in Lyon, France, Xbox has had to adhere to French labor laws, and was mandated to search for a potential buyer for Arkane. Assassin's Creed maker Ubisoft has reportedly made an offer for Arkane, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Ubisoft is one of at least three companies to submit a bid for Arkane. According to Bloomberg, Xbox is also considering selling Arkane to the studio's management. The future of Arkane looked in doubt last month as negotiations for a redundancy plan for potentially laid-off employees were reportedly not going well ahead of a Nov. 13 deadline.
That deadline for Arkane to find a new home was extended, and Xbox is "exploring options" for what to do with Arkane ahead of its December deadline, Bloomberg said. Xbox has not accepted any offer at this time. Marvel's Blade was announced almost three years ago at the 2023 The Game Awards.
Arkane has been quiet about it since, and its internal ship date was delayed until late 2027. If Arkane avoids being shut down by Microsoft and gets sold elsewhere, it will likely be able to wrap up development on its game starring The Daywalker. According to Bloomberg, Blade is "expected to be released within the next year or two." Blade is a fan-favorite Marvel character who's a dhampir, a hybrid of a vampire and a human.
He's appeared in Marvel's Midnight Suns, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Marvel Rivals, and more.
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