Marvel’s Blade kan bli kansellert snart, ettersom Arkane Lyon må finne en ny eier frem til 13. november.

Arkane has become one of many studios affected by this year's Xbox restructuring. The impact may be so severe that its headquarters could soon be shut down, and a game that was announced back in 2023 is at risk of being canceled.

According to Le Monde, Xbox is still searching for potential buyers for Arkane Studios, but if no deal is reached, 217 employees could be laid off. Furthermore, the company has until November 13 of this year to close a deal; otherwise, Arkane’s headquarters in Lyon will be shut down, and Marvel’s Blade will be permanently canceled. You can check out more details, compiled from a Reddit post, below:

Le Monde: Arkane Lyon (Blade) has until November 13th to find a buyer (217 jobs at risk).

Key Quotes (translated)“As the end of internal consultations and negotiations approaches, two unions warn of the announced death of one of the biggest names in French video games. They accuse the American group of an "incoherent" decision and a "disrespectful" attitude.”

“Microsoft is leaving us no choice," the union representative told Le Monde. On November 13, the official end date for consultations with the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) on the proposed closure, the company will have to make a decision.

In the meantime, the unions hope to buy more time "to give the discussions a better chance of reaching a conclusion," according to the STJV, which is involved with the company but not an elected representative. "We remain hopeful of saving the studio and its jobs," adds Simon, who, on behalf of Printemps écologique, has requested a postponement of the deadlines for negotiating the redundancy plan and searching for a buyer. According to the union representative, who is bound by certain confidentiality obligations, "several forms of takeover are being considered."

“Although negotiations are officially ongoing until Friday, October 30, the union has not ruled out ultimately challenging "the economic justification for the proposed closure in court." "This is in complete contradiction with what we've been told in the Works Council for years about the company's financial situation," Simon complains. According to him, "Microsoft is looking to divest itself of Arkane, even though the studio is doing well, in order to save money and improve the profitability of its short-term investments."

Earlier reports indicated the budget for Marvel's Blade significantly exceeded Xbox's requirements, and as a result, the game has been facing ongoing development challenges. Studio executives had previously stated they were seeking the best solution to resolve the situation with Arkane Studios, but a report by Le Monde indicates that time is running out, and another major studio could be shut down the following month. At the beginning of October, Ninja Theory, the developers of the Hellblade series, began laying off employees, and as with Arkane, the future of their recently announced game, Senua, remains uncertain.

As for Marvel's Blade, as mentioned above, the game was announced in 2023. Its release date—even an approximate one—remains unknown, and according to insider Jeff Grubb, development is far from complete, with years still to go before release. However, this information may become obsolete if Arkane fails to find a new owner and the game is canceled.