Xbox is running out of time to find a buyer for Arkane as a December deadline approaches, and a French union is now blaming Microsoft’s gaming division for allegedly “sabotaging” the Dishonored and Deathloop maker as it attempts to finish its latest project, Marvel’s Blade.
“Today, as work on Blade is going fine, and that the level of quality of the game to be expected is on part (sic) with what Arkane has accustomed its players, workers have to face the harsh reality: our studio might get closed because, and only because, Microsoft decided to, even if that means sabotaging the game it funded,” the French game union Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV) wrote in an open letter on November 4.
Marvel’s Blade was revealed back in 2022 and is rumored to still be a couple of years away from release. STJV has accused Xbox of slowing progress by instituting a 19-month hiring freeze that “artificially caused delay and additional cost.” The union also argues that closing Arkane at this point would “probably be more expensive than finishing the game.”
It claims there are currently 217 people at Arkane who would be impacted by a studio closure. Microsoft extended its search for a buyer for the storied 25-year-old immersive sim maker and has reportedly received bids from Ubisoft and others. It also looked at trying to do a management buyout, as has happened with Compulsion Games and Undead Labs.
“We want our studio to live on and produce games, we want to finish Blade and release it to the players, as well as the many games the future holds for Arkane,” STJV wrote. In the event that no sale is possible, the union has called on Microsoft to make redundancy payments of roughly $225,000 per employee, as well as provide other post-employment benefits.
“The decision to close Arkane is solely the brutal application of a never-ending search for maximum profit optimization,” STJV argued. “Arkane is profitable. Just not profitable enough for Microsoft.”