Ubisoft Among Bidders For Arkane Studios As Xbox Sale Talks Run To December
Microsoft's Xbox division is weighing acquisition offers for Arkane Studios, the Lyon-based developer of Dishonored and Deathloop, with Ubisoft and at least two other game companies among the bidders, according to Bloomberg reporting relayed by Game Spark, GameBusiness.jp and GIGAZINE.
3 sources 1d ago Updated
Reporting from 3 sources: GIGAZINE, GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
Why it matters
The bidding is the clearest sign yet that Xbox's five-studio selloff may end in transfers rather than closures, and that Arkane's survival is now tied to finishing Marvel's Blade under whichever buyer signs.
Key Facts
- Bloomberg reported that Ubisoft and at least two other game companies made acquisition offers for Arkane Studios.
- Xbox division CEO Asha Sharma announced in July 2026 a business reform, called a "reset," under which five studios including Arkane Studios would leave Microsoft.
- French labor law set November 13 as the deadline for Microsoft to seek a buyer for Arkane Studios, and Microsoft applied to extend the search period by about a month.
- Microsoft is also considering selling Arkane Studios to the studio's current management, and no agreement has been reached with any bidder.
- A finalized acquisition is expected to let Arkane Studios complete Marvel's Blade, announced in 2023 and scheduled for release within the next one to two years.
The offers follow Xbox division CEO Asha Sharma's July 2026 announcement of a business reform she called a "reset," under which five studios including Arkane would leave Microsoft, with closures also floated as a possibility. Terms are undisclosed and no agreement has been reached with any bidder. Xbox is also weighing a sale to Arkane's current management. An Xbox spokesperson told Bloomberg the company is "considering various options ahead of the December deadline." A Ubisoft spokesperson has not commented. French labor law required Arkane's buyer search to run three months, with November 13 as the deadline before Microsoft sought and obtained an extension of about one month, reportedly moving it toward December 13. If a deal closes, Arkane is expected to finish Marvel's Blade, a third-person action game announced in 2023 and slated for release within the next one to two years.
Arkane is based in Lyon, and French labor law set the buyer search at three months with November 13 as the original deadline. Microsoft then applied to extend the period, and the search is now reported to run toward December 13.
The bidding sits inside a wider restructuring. Microsoft cut roughly 4,800 people, mostly in Xbox and commercial divisions, and reduced management layers, which ran as many as 14 tiers, to speed up decisions. Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions are set to return to independence. Ninja Theory, developer of Senua, and Undead Labs, developer of State of Decay 3, have agreed to join new owners, with funding provided for game completion and growth.
One other studio affected by the earlier cuts is not yet settled. On Marvel's Blade, the person familiar with internal matters said a completed acquisition would let Arkane finish the game, a third-person action title based on the Marvel comic and announced in 2023.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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