Ubisoft Bids for Arkane Lyon: Marvel's Blade's Future Explained

Arkane Lyon, the French studio behind Dishonored, Deathloop and the unfinished Marvel's Blade, has suddenly gone from facing closure to attracting bidders. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported on November 3 that Ubisoft and at least two other gaming companies have made offers to Microsoft for the studio. Insider Gaming says it independently confirmed that Ubisoft made an offer. No deal has been signed.

Quick summary

• Bloomberg (Nov 3): Ubisoft plus at least two unnamed companies have bid for Arkane.
• Xbox has also discussed selling the studio to its own management, per the same reports.
• The deadline is now December 13, 2026, after being pushed back from November 13.
• About 217 jobs in Lyon are at risk if nothing is agreed.
• Nothing is final. Offer amounts and the other bidders have not been disclosed.

Who has bid for Arkane Lyon?

Only Ubisoft has been named. Schreier's sources say two more gaming companies also submitted offers, but their identities and the amounts involved have not been made public. Insider Gaming's source adds that Ubisoft had been interested in Arkane "for some time", and that the idea of an offer came up even before the studio's uncertain status became public over the summer. Because the source is anonymous, treat this as a report rather than an announcement. Microsoft, Xbox, Arkane and Ubisoft had not publicly commented when the story broke, and an Xbox spokesperson only said the company is reviewing its options ahead of a December deadline.

Could Arkane become independent instead?

Yes, and that is the second route in the reports. Insider Gaming says Xbox has discussed selling Arkane to its management, the way Compulsion Games and Double Fine went back to independence during the same restructuring. Bloomberg's report does not settle whether Microsoft still favours that option. For fans, an independent Arkane would keep the studio out of Ubisoft's hands, but it would still need a publishing partner to finish and release its game.

What is the new Arkane deadline?

The studio was first told it had until November 13 to find a buyer, tied to a French consultation process over a proposed closure. Microsoft later gave it a month more, which moves the date to December 13, 2026. Windows Central and other outlets put the number of Lyon roles at risk at 217. Those jobs sit inside the wider Xbox reset that Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced in July, which aims at around 3,200 job cuts across the division. Our guide to the next waves of Xbox layoffs tracks that wider picture.

What does this mean for Marvel's Blade?

Marvel's Blade was revealed at The Game Awards in 2023 and has barely been seen since its first trailer. Reporting around the sale says the game is in the late stage of production, and Bloomberg says a deal would most likely let Arkane finish it without interruption. Briefs and other outlets repeat a release window of roughly one to two years, but that estimate is not an official date and no platform or launch window has been confirmed by Microsoft or Marvel. If the studio closed, the game's future would be in real doubt.

Why would Ubisoft want Arkane?

Neither company has said. What is known is that Arkane is a well-known studio with a Marvel-licensed game in development. Any reasoning beyond that is speculation, so we will wait for a statement from Ubisoft before reading too much into the offer.

Arkane bids at a glance

What happens next?

Expect negotiations to run up to the December 13 date, with any announcement coming from Microsoft or the winning buyer. We will update this story when something official lands. Meanwhile you can follow other big releases on our launch calendar and check the latest freebies on GameDrop deals.

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