Following reports indicating some good news for Arkane Lyon, with multiple buyers seemingly being lined up to acquire the studio, the union representing the studio’s employees is now claiming that Xbox is trying to actively sabotage the development of Marvel’s Blade. In a statement (via VGC), the Syndicat des travailleureuses du jeu video (STJV) has said that progress on the project has been plagued by delays that were “artificially caused” by Xbox.
The root of this allegation comes down to allegations that Microsoft actively prevented Arkane Lyon from hiring more developers to work on the project for more than a year.
“Today, as work on Blade is going fine, and the level of quality of the game to be expected is on [par] with what Arkane has accustomed its players, workers have to face the harsh reality: our studio might get closed because, and only because, Microsoft decided to, even if that means sabotaging the game it funded.
“The decision to close Arkane is solely the brutal application of a never-ending search for maximum profit optimisation. Arkane is profitable. Just not profitable enough for Microsoft.”
Accompanying the statement is a list of demands for Xbox, which involves the company going “beyond” the consultation process and giving employee representatives and unions a voice in the decision going forward. Along with this, the union also wants Xbox to set up a protection fund for employees that would be equivalent to PSE compensation. This fund would kick in if the studio’s employees start facing job cuts at the hands of any potential buyer within the next two years.
In the case of Arkane Lyon’s closure, the union wants Microsoft to guarantee redundancy payments of € 200,000 (approximately $225,000), two years’ worth of redeployment support funded by Microsoft, compensation up to the redundancy payment for breaching the independent workers’ contracts, and the introduction of shared training and studio creation resources paired with a residual bonus to improve employee morale. The union representatives have noted that “Microsoft’s status as a corporation” means that the company can easily afford these demands.
A report from earlier this week had indicated that many companies have expressed interest in acquiring Arkane Lyon, with three of them being game companies, one of which is seemingly Ubisoft. However, Xbox has reportedly not yet come to an agreement with any of the potential buyers. Should a deal go through, Arkane Lyon will have enough leeway to wrap up work on Marvel’s Blade – a project that the entire team is seemingly quite confident about.
Previous rumors had indicated that Xbox had given Arkane Lyon the deadline of November 13th to find a new buyer. In a later statement, the company essentially confirmed this deadline and said that it had been extended by a month to December 13th.
“We have extended the consultation period by one additional month as we explore options, including finding a partner to support the studio through the development work still ahead. This is a defined extension, and we remain committed to keeping the Works Council informed throughout the process.”
