Arkane Lyon's union says Microsoft's 19-month hiring freeze caused the Blade delays it now cites to close the studio

The people making Marvel’s Blade are pushing back, hard. STJV, the French video game workers’ union that represents staff at Arkane Lyon, published an open letter on November 4 accusing Microsoft of creating the very problems it’s now using to justify shutting the studio down.

The core claim is simple. According to the union, Microsoft froze hiring across the group for 19 months, which “artificially” caused delays and extra costs on the project. Now, the letter says, Microsoft is pointing to those same delays and costs as the economic reason to close the studio. Inven Global’s translation quotes the union saying “Arkane is profitable. Just not profitable enough in Microsoft’s eyes.” STJV also says production on Blade is going well, that the studio’s cash is regularly pulled back up to the group through a cash pooling setup, and that closing Arkane and cancelling Blade would probably cost more than finishing it.

What the workers are asking for

This comes after Microsoft added a month to the consultation while it looks for a buyer or partner. STJV calls that extension “a step forward” but “far from enough.” If no serious buyer shows up, the union says Arkane closes and 217 employees lose their jobs, plus freelancers, contractors and support staff. It wants workers to have a say in picking any buyer, a protection fund if a new owner cuts jobs within 24 months, and, if the studio does close, €200,000 in severance per worker and two years of paid redeployment leave. The Verge notes the studio has reportedly drawn bids from Ubisoft and others. Microsoft hadn’t publicly responded to the letter when Inven published, and no sale has been announced.

PPR take: This is the union’s side of the story, so keep that in mind, but the hiring freeze argument is a tough one to wave away. If you starve a team of people for a year and a half, of course the game slips and costs more. Then using that as the reason to close the doors feels backwards. Arkane Lyon made Dishonored and Deathloop. That’s a studio with real craft, and I’d hate to see Blade end up as one more game nobody ever gets to play. The best outcome here is a buyer who actually wants Arkane for the long haul, not just to wrap up one project. I hope the workers get that seat at the table they’re asking for.