Dishonored 2 was a critically acclaimed title, but it didn’t perform as well commercially. According to former designer at Arkane Lyon, Julien Eveillé, the studio might not have survived if Arkane didn’t have good standing in game design.
In an interview with PCGamer, Eveillé spoke about how expensive the game was to make (seemingly costing more than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim), and the studio’s reputation of refined video game releases.
“It was a bit strange and weird,” said Eveillé. “I think when Bethesda was looking at the numbers, they thought, ‘OK, Skyrim sold so much. And it cost less than Dishonored 2 to make.’ So they were asking questions. From an executive spending standpoint, it makes sense to ask those questions, ‘Why should we keep going with you?’ But we knew we had a kind of seal-of-quality protection, making what would maybe be considered the most refined games of the whole Bethesda catalogue.”
Eveillé revealed that Arkane’s reputation for developing refined titles “kind of saved the studio.” He also spoke about the departure of founder Raphael Colantionio and how studio director Dinga Bakaba took control. All of these actions contributed to the “future success of the studio.”
While Arkane Lyon hasn’t released any single-player titles since 2021’s Deathloop, its next major is Marvel’s Blade. While few details have been revealed, we know that it will feature a third-person camera – a departure from a studio known for making first-person games.
Since its original announcement, art director Sebastien Mitton has posted a few pieces of concept art for the upcoming game, confirming it will take place in Paris.
Arkane hasn’t yet announced the release date for Marvel’s Blade, but rumours from December 2023 indicate that it’s internally aiming for a 2027 release. If more development time is required, the release window could get pushed back further.
Back in May 2024, when Arkane Austin was shuttered due to the poor sales of Redfall, Arkane Lyon director Dinga Bikaba took to social media to discuss the closure. He also asked executives to not “throw us into gold fever gambits,” among other things while confirming that Arkane Lyon was safe.
For more details on Arkane Lyon’s previous works, check out our reviews of Deathloop and Dishonored 2.
