While Dishonored 2 was a critically acclaimed title, according to former designer at Arkane Lyon, Julien Eveillé, the studio might not have survived the game’s lack of commercial success if it weren’t for the fact that Arkane had good standing when it comes to designing games.
In an interview with PCGamer, Eveillé spoke about how expensive the game was to make, and the reputation of refined video game releases that the studio had. Interestingly, Eveillé also reveals that Dishonored 2 cost more to develop than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
“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 spend standpoint, it makes sense to ask those questions of, ‘Why should we keep going with you?’ But we knew that 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 went on to reveal that Arkane’s reputation for developing refined titles “kind of saved the studio.” He also spoke about the departure of studio founder Raphael Colantionio, and how studio director Dinga Bakaba was able to take control of the studio. All of these actions ended up contributing to the “future success of the studio.”
While Arkane Lyon hasn’t released any single-player titles in quite some time since the release of Deathloop, the next major game by the studio will be Marvel’s Blade. The game was unveiled back in December 2023 with a trailer. While few details about Marvel’s Blade have been revealed, we do know that it will feature a third-person camera, which will be a departure for a studio known for making first-person games.
Since its originally announcement, art director Sebastien Mitton has posted a few pieces of concept art for the upcoming game. While not indicative of exactly what we can expect from the game, the concept art does indicate that Marvel’s Blade will take place in Paris.
Arkane hasn’t yet announced the release date for Marvel’s Blade yet, but rumours from December 2023 indicate that the studio is internally aiming for a 2027 release. The rumours did indicate that 2027 was the earliest timeframe for release; if more development time is required, the release window could get pushed back further. For context, the last major title by Arkane Lyon, Deathloop, was released back in 2021.
Back in May 2024, when Arkane Austin was shuttered due to the poor sales of Redfall, Arkane Lyon director Dinga Bikaba had taken to social media to talk about the closure, and asked executives to not “throw us into gold fever gambits,” among other things. Bakaba did, however, confirm that Arkane Lyon was safe.
For more details on Arkane Lyon’s previous works, check out our reviews of Deathloop and Dishonored 2, the latter of which has been critically acclaimed since its release thanks to its impressive stealth mechanics and level design.