Marvel’s Blade will reportedly have a budget close to 100 times larger than that of developer Arkane Studios’ first game, Arx Fatalis, if it is eventually released.
According to a report (via IanFich, bogorad222, and IdleSloth84_ on Twitter/X) published by the French government in June, 2024, Marvel’s Blade had been allocated a budget of more than 94 million Euros for the 2023–2026 period. However, that figure doesn’t represent the final production cost. If the project is completed, the game is estimated to be released sometime late in 2027, meaning development will continue well beyond the budget period covered in the report.
The reported budget for Marvel’s Blade highlights the extent to which game development budgets have increased. In contrast, Arx Fatalis, the studio’s first game released in 2002, had a budget of only 1.3 million US Dollars, according to Arkane founder Raphael Colantonio. If Marvel’s Blade is ultimately released, its budget will surpass 100 million Euros by the end of development, representing a budget close to 100 times larger than that of Arx Fatalis.
Arkane Lyon is currently undergoing legally required consultations under French labor law as Microsoft evaluates strategic options for the studio, which could include a sale, restructuring, or management buyout.
During a recent episode of the Giant Bombcast, co-host and industry insider Jeff Grubb discussed claimed that Marvel’s Blade is quite far along in development, and may even have been ready for release next year in 2027 before Xbox’s restructuring plans kicked in. According to him, the game was progressing well internally and was set for a public reveal later this year. He questioned why Microsoft would walk away from a project that appeared to be approaching the finish line, especially if it had the potential to become a successful release. However, the insider suggested that the issue wasn’t necessarily the quality of the game, but rather Microsoft’s willingness to continue funding its development.
