One of The Game Awards’ biggest surprises was that we’re getting a new Blade game from Bethesda. But given the situation with Bethesda and Microsoft, you might be wondering whether Bethesda’s undated Blade game is an Xbox exclusive. Here’s what you need to know.
Is the Marvel’s Blade Game From Arkane Studios Exclusive to Xbox?
So far, we’ve had a brief pre-rendered trailer and an accompanying announcement from Bethesda. The announcement confirms that Arkane Lyon, which also put out Deathloop and the Dishonored games, is developing Blade.
According to Bethesda, it “…will feature an original story with the studio’s signature immersive gameplay and world-class narrative.” What they haven’t confirmed is which platform it’s arriving on. So, right now, no one outside of Microsoft is absolutely sure that Blade is going to be exclusive to Xbox.
But it’s extremely likely, given that Microsoft owns both Bethesda and Arkane. Bethesda Softworks’ last three games have been Xbox exclusive on console and Microsoft’s thinking is likely to be that as an Xbox exclusive, Blade will persuade more people to buy an Xbox. So, it’s almost certain that Blade will skip the PlayStation and only arrive on Xbox and PC.
Who Is Blade – And Why Does He Hunt Vampires?
If you’re curious as to who Blade is, here’s the lowdown. Blade is a half-vampire vampire-hunter, a complete badass who’s made it his mission to take down the world’s bloodsuckers. He’s one of Marvel’s most prominent Black superheroes and has crossed swords or teamed up with a many Marvel characters.
Why does he hunt vampires? He has a personal vendetta. Real name Eric Brooks, his mother was killed (and later resurrected) by a vampire as she was giving birth to him. He became part-vampire, and the circumstances of his birth, in turn, drove his crusade to take out vampires. Blade doesn’t burn up in sunlight, but he’s supernaturally strong and has even gone toe-to-toe with Dracula.
What Is Arkane Lyon – And Why Is It Handling Blade?
Arkane Lyon is one of the sub-studios that make up Arkane Studios. Arkane Lyon developed the steampunk sneak-em-up Dishonored, as well as its two follow-ups. The team at Arkane Lyon also created the Prey reboot and the time-looping FPS Deathloop.
It’s not Arkane Austin, the studio that gave us the poorly-received Redfall. Though, to be fair, there’s a whole story behind that. Arkane was purchased by Bethesda Softworks/ZeniMax Media in 2010. And then, when Microsoft purchased Bethesda in 2021, it became a Microsoft studio.
So, the answer to whether Bethesda’s Blade game is an Xbox exclusive is almost certainly yes, and with Arkane Lyon behind it, hopefully, it’ll be the game that this vampire-slaying hero deserves.
