Assassin’s Creed publisher Ubisoft is interested in acquiring the studio behind Dishonored and the in-progress Marvel’s Blade game, according to a new report.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier says Ubisoft is among “multiple” business entities that have made offers to Microsoft, along with “at least two other gaming companies,” according to anonymous sources familiar with negotiations.
The French connection is there for sure, with the Lyon, France-based Arkane garnering interest from the famously French publisher Ubisoft, so it may be a match made in baguette heaven. Sacre bleu!
A recent report stated that Arkane had just a few weeks to find a potential buyer or risk full closure, meaning hundreds of jobs would be at risk along with the future of the Blade game that’s been in the works for at least a few years. Earlier this year, Xbox announced it was looking to divest Arkane as part of CEO Asha Sharma’s “reset” of the company in efforts to make it profitable. A wave of thousands of layoffs has followed at numerous sections of Microsoft, including its gaming divisions and numerous studios within.
I’m sure many will have thoughts about Ubisoft taking on Arkane, with the studio going from one big-budget publisher to another, but if it means that jobs are saved and games continue to get made by people, then for now it could be considered a win if a deal gets made.
I am also quite interested to find out who the other companies looking to bid on Arkane may be, but Bloomberg’s sources could not garner more specific info.
Arkane has been responsible for several well-received games such as the Dishonored and Prey series, and Deathloop, but its most recent release was widely considered a flop. Redfall launched in 2023 and did not perform well in sales or with critics or players alike, so the heat is on for Blade to be a big one after it hasn’t been seen since its debut trailer nearly three years ago.
