French Union Accuses Microsoft of Sabotaging Marvel’s Blade to Justify Closing Arkane

Arkane Lyon’s fight to survive has taken a sharper turn. France’s Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV) has published an open letter accusing Microsoft of deliberately slowing down development on Marvel’s Blade, then using the resulting delays and extra costs as its justification for closing the Dishonored and Deathloop studio.

A Hiring Freeze Used as a Weapon

According to STJV, Microsoft froze hiring at Arkane Lyon for 19 months, a decision the union says artificially caused delays and extra costs on Blade. STJV argues Microsoft is now citing those same delays and costs as the economic reason for shutting the studio down, calling the logic circular and the closure a case of self-inflicted harm. The union insists Blade’s development is going fine and that its quality matches the rest of Arkane Lyon’s celebrated catalogue, pushing back on the idea that the studio’s output is the real problem.

“Arkane is profitable. Just not profitable enough for Microsoft.”

STJV, French video game union

Dishonored 2, one of Arkane Lyon’s most acclaimed games, is part of the catalogue the union points to as proof the studio can still deliver.

217 Jobs and a Long List of Demands

Gamersuniverse previously covered Bloomberg’s report that Ubisoft is among several bidders looking to acquire Arkane, as Microsoft’s deadline to decide the studio’s fate has already been pushed from November 13 into December. STJV says a closure would put 217 direct employees out of work, on top of an unspecified number of contractors and freelancers who help keep the studio running day to day. Should Arkane be sold instead of closed, the union is demanding real input into choosing the buyer and a dedicated protection fund covering any employees laid off for economic reasons within 24 months of the sale.

Microsoft Can Clearly Afford It

If Arkane does close, STJV wants Microsoft to go well beyond France’s legal minimum severance requirements, including a redundancy payment of 200,000 euros (about $225,000) per worker, two years of Microsoft funded job placement support, and compensation for independent contractors whose contracts get broken in the process. The union’s demands look less extreme next to Microsoft’s own numbers, the company posted $36.6 billion in net income on a GAAP basis for just the first quarter of its 2027 fiscal year, up 32 percent year over year. For now, Arkane’s fate remains unresolved, and Microsoft has not publicly responded to STJV’s letter.

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Picture Source: Marvel Entertainment, Arkane Studios / Bethesda Softworks