Arkane has until November to find a buyer or face closure, it’s claimed
The studio’s next game, Blade, was announced in 2023
Arkane Studios has until November 13 to find a new buyer, or the studio will be closed, it’s claimed.
In a new report in French outlet Le Monde, (via Gematsu), it’s claimed that the Dishonored studio, which Microsoft announced plans to cut in the summer, is looking at “multiple forms of takeover,” though the fate of the studio is still unclear. Over 200 jobs are reportedly at risk, should the studio fail to find a buyer.
According to members of the Printemps Ecologique union, which represents workers at Arkane, the studio’s current project, Marvel’s Blade is virtually finished, with the union saying it woulbe a “monumental waste,” should the project fail to see the light of day.
In a statement provided to Le Monde, Microsoft claimed that it was “actively seeking a partner to support the next phase of development and enable the commercialization of the (Blade) project.”
Arkane was one of multiple studios cut during Microsoft’s wide-reaching layoffs this year. State of Decay 3 studio Undead Labs, which was at risk of closure, has become independent.
However, studios such as Ninja Theory weren’t able to make deals which would see the studio survive. At the time of writing, the studio is in the process of laying off staff. The fate of the recently announced Senua, the third game in the Hellblade series, is unknown.
Arkane’s Blade was announced during The Game Awards in 2023.
The studio’s last game was the critically acclaimed 2021 shooter Deathloop. Before that, the developer helped on the Wolfenstein games with Machine Games, and developed Dishonored 2 and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.
