New Marvel’s Blade Report Indicates the Game Is Dangerously Close to Cancellation
A new report has claimed that Marvel’s Blade is dangerously close to being scrapped at developer Arkane Studios. Earlier this year, Xbox announced that it was shutting down or selling off a handful of different studios that it owned. Arkane happened to be one of these developers, with the Lyon-based company having since been forced to look for a new buyer. Now, after months working behind the scenes to determine the course of not only its future but the future of Marvel’s Blade, a new report claims that Arkane is running out of time.
According to French outlet Le Monde, Arkane has until November 13th to find a new owner or else Xbox will close the studio for good. Not only would all of the current staff members at Arkane lose their jobs as part of this shuttering, but Xbox would end up scrapping years of development that have gone into Marvel’s Blade. The report goes on to state that Arkane had multiple options for a buyout on the table, but it’s still looking for more time to negotiate any potential deals.
As for Marvel’s Blade, the upcoming superhero title is said to be incredibly close to being done. While a release date for the project has yet to be given, it sounds as if Arkane was on track to launch it at some point in 2027. Even though game cancellations have sadly been commonplace over the decades, Blade would be a particularly cruel project to reach its demise given how far along it is.
Throughout its history, Arkane has been the force behind critically acclaimed games such as Dishonored, Deathloop, and plenty of others. Given its track record, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Blade would have been equally as praised, while also providing a very different gameplay experience when compared to Marvel’s other games that have come about over the past decade.
In addition, Blade has become a rather cursed IP for Marvel in recent years. Not only is this video game adaptation of the famed vampire hunter now in danger of being cancelled, but Marvel’s previously announced movie for the character that was meant to star Mahershala Ali also fell apart internally. For one reason or another, everything outside of Marvel’s own comics that have prominently featured Blade have been met with a cruel demise, which makes this news tied to Arkane particularly grueling for fans.
For now, Arkane and Xbox haven’t said anything official about what the future holds. Whenever we learn more about Arkane’s fate and the ongoing development of Marvel’s Blade, we’ll be sure to update you here on ComicBook.