Union Accuses Xbox of Sabotaging Marvel's Blade at Arkane
A French video game workers' union says Xbox is sabotaging development of Marvel's Blade, and that it may close the studio making it.
The union is the STJV, short for Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo. It represents workers at Arkane, the studio behind the Dishonored series and Prey. According to the STJV's own website, its aim is a friendship, solidarity and defence pact among everyone who works in the games industry. It says it does not speak for business owners, including employers and shareholders.
In a statement reported by Video Games Chronicle on 4 November 2026, the STJV said Microsoft imposed a 19-month ban on hiring new staff at Arkane. The union argues that this ban has artificially caused internal delays on Marvel's Blade. It also said the game itself is progressing well, and that the expected quality is on a par with Arkane's earlier games.
Arkane was founded in 1999. It joined Microsoft in 2021, when its parent company, ZeniMax, was acquired by the Xbox maker.
The bigger claim concerns the studio's future. The STJV says Xbox is considering closing Arkane entirely, as part of an ongoing reset led by Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma. The union says Arkane is profitable, but not profitable enough for Microsoft. It also argues that closing the studio now would probably cost more than finishing Marvel's Blade.
The STJV has set out several demands. It wants Arkane to have a say in who might buy the studio. It also wants a larger redundancy payout, meaning money paid to staff who lose their jobs, if the studio closes. The union called Xbox's current offer outrageously low.
Microsoft has been looking for a buyer for Arkane Lyon, the French studio. GamesIndustry.biz reported on 26 October 2026 that Microsoft had extended the consultation period for Arkane Lyon by one month. That report also said development on Marvel's Blade was continuing during the search. The union's latest statement adds that Xbox is taking bids from potential buyers, including Ubisoft.
For players, the situation is still open. Marvel's Blade is in development, and the union's account is the first public word from workers on the delays and the closure plans. The claims are the STJV's own, and the company has not settled them publicly so far.
