According to a report on The Verge, Microsoft is looking at the possibility of shuttering Arkane Studios and cancelling its upcoming Marvel’s Blade title.
Arkane Studio is one of at least five studios that the Xbox manufacturer is currently weighing up for closure, which comes as Microsoft is set to announce a way of layoffs across its Xbox studios next week. The Verge added that Blade was originally planned to debut later this year, but the internal ship date has now been pushed to late 2027, and is running over budget.
While Microsoft is weighing up cancelling Blade, it’s also looking at options to sell Arkane Studios, something which has been previously been reported as being the case for the likes of Compulsion Games, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory.
On the subject of Blade, it was only a few weeks ago that Jeff Grubb speculated that the project may have been cancelled, before following up by assuring fans that it was still in the pipeline. Arkane Studios’ lead concept artist followed these reports with a ‘let us cook’ meme when asked about the situation on X.
Previously, Asha Sharma, the new CEO of Xbox, stated that she is planning on “resetting the business” as it’s currently “not in a healthy spot.” The format hold recently started plans to bring back console exclusives, with both Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution confirmed to be Xbox-exclusive releases.
[Source – The Verge]