Marvel's Blade developer Arkane Lyon's union wants employees to help choose any buyer for the studio, arguing that Microsoft could spend more closing it than allowing the game to be finished. Its new demands cover both a sale and the loss of 217 jobs if rescue talks fail.
In its November 4 statement, French union STJV says work on Blade is progressing well. But saving the game alone is not its goal: it wants a lasting future for Arkane and protections for the people making it.
The union is asking for employee representatives and unions to have a voice in selecting a buyer, beyond the mandatory Works Council consultation. It also wants a fund to protect staff against economic layoffs by a new owner during the following 24 months.
If Arkane closes, STJV is demanding €200,000 in redundancy pay per employee, two years of Microsoft-funded redeployment support and shared resources for training and creating new studios. It also seeks compensation for independent workers whose contracts would be broken.
Blade's progress and the cost of closure
STJV alleges that a 19-month hiring freeze caused delays and additional costs which Microsoft then used to justify closing the studio. It challenges the financial case directly:
"Even this closure itself is done against any financial logic, as closing Arkane today would probably be more expensive than finishing the game."
The statement does not provide a numerical comparison of those costs. Its assessment of Blade's progress is also the union's account, not a confirmed release timetable. PC Gamer reported in October that sources close to the studio believed development still had years to go.
Microsoft previously extended the consultation period into December. In its response to PC Gamer at the time, the company said it was exploring options including a partner to support the remaining development work. It also said documents referring to closure were part of the required consultation process and did not represent a final decision.
That leaves a distinction between the union's warning and a completed shutdown: Arkane is still seeking a way forward. Ubisoft has reportedly submitted a bid, but no acquisition has been finalised.
First revealed at The Game Awards in 2023, Marvel's Blade is a single-player, third-person game set in Paris. STJV says its workers want to finish and release it, while securing a future for the studio beyond that one game.