Xbox, Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios’ action-adventure game, Marvel’s Blade, may be ready for release in 2027, but Xbox doesn’t appear to want to pay for further development.
During the latest episode of the Giant Bombcast, co-host and industry insider Jeff Grubb discussed Xbox’s ongoing “reset”, including cost-cutting measures, studio uncertainty, and reports of several first-party studios potentially facing closures. Regarding Marvel’s Blade, he suggested that the game is quite far along in development, and may even have been ready for release next year in 2027 before Microsoft’s plans kicked in.
According to Grubb, Marvel’s Blade was progressing well internally and was set for a public reveal later this year. “Blade sounds like it’s, you know, pretty far along. They were going to begin debuting it in some ways later this year… and maybe even release it next 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. “That seems like a game you could just make money by selling if it’s going to be any good.”
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. “It does sound like it needed more time and they just don’t want to pay for that.”
Just a few days ago, Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard offered a brief update on Marvel’s Blade, praising Arkane Studios’ progress. He said he was unable to share when fans can expect to see more of the title, but indicated development is progressing well behind the scenes. “I’m not at liberty to say when [we’ll see more],” Howard said. “but I saw some stuff just yesterday [on May 21] and the folks at Arkane [Studios, the developers] are doing a really, really great job.”
