Summary
According to an Xbox insider, the recently announcedBladegame will be an Xbox console exclusive. Marvel gaming fans were met with an exciting surprise during The Game Awards 2023 whenDishonoredandDeathloopdeveloper Arkane Lyonrevealed that it is working on a single-player, third-person action title centered around the legendary vampire hunter Blade. The briefMarvel’s Bladetrailer shown at the event featured the Daywalker getting ready to hunt vampires on the blood-soaked streets of Paris.
As excited as fans are for a triple-ABladevideo game, the recent announcement has caused some confusion regarding what platformsMarvel’s Bladewill be available on. The trailer itself didn’t mention any particular consoles, and publisherBethesda has declined to comment on the subjectsince it was shown at The Game Awards 2023. However, as both Bethesda and Arkane Lyon are owned by Microsoft following its purchase of parent company ZeniMax Media back in 2021, many suspect thatBladewill be exclusive to Xbox consoles and PCs.
Nick “Shpeshal Nick” Baker recently offered his own take on therecentBladeplatform confusionin response to an article from fellow gaming journalist Paul Tassi on Twitter. He claims thatBladewill indeed be an Xbox exclusive, leading Tassi to ask why neither Bethesda nor Arkane Lyon have clarified this yet. Some Twitter users have given different possible answers for the studios’ current silence, ranging fromBladestill being early in development to ongoing legal debates surrounding Microsoft’s recent buyout of Activision Blizzard.
People who feel thatBladewill be exclusive to Xbox consoles cite the possibility of it being used tobolster subscriptions to Xbox Game Passand it not making much sense for Microsoft to release it on the competing PlayStation 5 due to it having its own line of exclusive Marvel titles like Insomniac’sSpider-Manseries and the upcomingMarvel’s Wolverine. On the other hand, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently voiced his displeasure with console exclusivity, soBladebeing a multi-platform release isn’t entirely off the table.
There are many possible reasons whyArkane Studioshasn’t clarified ifMarvel’s Bladewill be an Xbox exclusive or multi-platform yet, but insider Nick Baker seems to think that it will be the former. While his word isn’t the be-all-end-all on the subject, he has accurately predicted Bethesda’sIndiana Jonesgame being exclusive to Xbox in the wake of the ZeniMax buyout, so there is some credibility to his claims that the upcomingBladegame will follow the same path.
