Arkane Lyon, the studio working on the highly anticipated Marvel’s Blade video game, reportedly has until mid-November to find a buyer or the studio risks being shut down.
That’s according to French publication Le Monde, which states that the consultation and negotiation period is coming to an end, with warnings from unions stating that something must happen regardless of the outcome. One union delegate, who is known as Simon to protect their identity, says negotiations on the PSE have been “going badly,” and that Microsoft isn’t giving a choice on the matter to representatives.
In addition, ‘Simon’ added that the consultation period ends on November 13, at which point at decision will be made on what to do. Microsoft said in a statement to Le Monde that it was continuing to “explore different options for Arkane.”
“We keep the social and economic committee as well as the employees informed, and are actively looking for a partner to support the next phase of development and enable the commercialization of the project,” said the company.
It’s hoped that more time for negotiations can be secured by the unions representing Arkane Lyon, nothing there’s “still hope to save the studio and its jobs.” If no agreement can be reached, then 217 jobs are at risk from the developer closing down.
Over the summer it was revealed that Arkane Lyon was among the many studios at risk after Microsoft’s latest wave of mass layoffs. Some studios have since gone independent like Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions, while Ninja Theory faces closure after Xbox’s Matt Booty revealed “two separate agreements” for the developer fell through.
Arkane Lyon assured fans back in June that Marvel’s Blade was still in development after rumours suggested the game had been shelved.
[Source – Le Monde via Insider Gaming]