In the blink of an eye, or so it seemed, the gaming industry changed today. It was announced that Microsoft has purchased Bethesda in full. That includes all of their IPs and studios, including one very acclaimed one in Arkane Studios. Ironically, the studio is hard at work finishing Deathloop, a game that will be timed console exclusive on the PS5. It seems they are also working on two other games going by their hiring.
New job listings have been posted via their website, which you can see here. There are two projects, one from Arkane France (whose last game was Dishonored 2) and the other from Arkane Austin (who last made Prey). There’s isn’t a lot of information here, but the listings for Engine Programmers on both sides mention “our style of immersive simulation and emergent gameplay creates many challenges.” That seems to imply it’s a game very much in their wheelhouse of immersive sim shooters. There are mentions of wanting someone who has worked on an extensive online “live” service game, so most likely whatever it is also has a multiplayer element of some kind.
Arkane Studios’ next game is Deathloop, which is set to release on PlayStation 5 and PC in Q2 2021. We’ll keep you updated as more information comes on these unannounced projects.