“At least two” other companies have also pitched themselves as the studio’s possible new owners.
Game developer Arkane Studios may not remain under the Microsoft umbrella for much longer. Arkane was rumored to be part of the massive layoffs announced at Xbox in July, with a possibility that Microsoft would cancel the studio’s current project. The speculation was part of a wave of closures and cancelations at Xbox this year.
However, like some of the other potential victims of those cuts, Arkane may get a second life. According to Bloomberg, multiple businesses have made bids for the studio. Those offers allegedly include Ubisoft and “at least two other” unnamed gaming companies. The report states that Xbox has also considered selling Arkane to its own management. A representative from Xbox told Bloomberg that it was exploring options ahead of a December deadline, but did not elaborate further.
Hopefully, Arkane getting a lifeline will mean the studio can continue and complete its work on a game adaptation of Marvel’s Blade franchise. All we’ve really seen about the project is the cinematic trailer that announced it back in 2023, but having the people behind Dishonored and Deathloop tackle the tale of the vampire hunter sure sounds like it should be a good time.
Ubisoft wouldn’t necessarily be the most stable place for Arkane to relocate to; the company hasn’t escaped the cuts that have wracked the broader gaming industry. Just this year, it announced layoffs twice in January, then again in March, June and October.
