Arkane’s Marvel’s Blade budget has seemingly been revealed through a new government report, hinting at one of the studio’s most expensive games to date.
When Arkane Lyon revealed Marvel’s Blade at The Game Awards in December 2023, it took everyone by surprise. The short cinematic trailer gave us our first look at the game. Since then, though, things have gone quiet. No gameplay, no developer updates, and not even a teaser of what to expect.
The only confirmed details so far are that it’s a single-player, third-person action game and that it’s being developed by the Deathloop and Dishonored team.
While there’s no official release date, most signs point toward a late 2026 or even 2027 launch. But now, we may finally have something new to chew on, a strong hint at just how much this game is costing to make.
Report Seemingly Reveals Massive Budget Behind Marvel’s Blade
This new info comes from a recent report published by the French National Assembly, focusing on tax incentives for creative industries. Spotted by X user IanFich, the report breaks down government-backed budgets for various video game projects developed in France.
Among the entries is a very specific mention of a game from Arkane Studios, approved in 2023, with a budget of over €94 million (around 109 million USD), of which €91 million (around 105 million USD) will be spent in France between 2023 and 2026. It doesn’t name the project, but based on timing, studio, and scope, it strongly matches what we know about Marvel’s Blade.
Here’s the direct quote from the report: (machine translated)
“This is the case for the game Star Wars Eclipse from the French studio Quantic Dream, approved in 2021 with a projected budget of nearly €100 million, of which €73 million in spending is spread across France from 2022 to 2025; or a game from the French studio Ubisoft, approved in 2020 with a projected budget of nearly €78 million, including €59 million in spending in France, spread from 2020 to 2023.
“This momentum is expected to continue, given the ambitious games approved since 2023, such as a new game produced by Arkane Studios, approved in 2023 with a budget of over €94 million, including €91 million in spending in France from 2023 to 2026.“
While the report doesn’t actually say “Marvel’s Blade” by name, it’s not hard to connect the dots. Arkane Lyon is currently only working on one officially confirmed project, and that’s Blade. And based on past reports, the studio officially moved into full production on the game in late 2024, lining up perfectly with this timeframe.
This also puts Blade in the same league as other mega-budget games like Star Wars: Eclipse and Assassin’s Creed, both of which were referenced in the same report with similarly massive numbers.
As for what’s happening with the game lately, Arkane Lyon is still hiring for the project, and it looks like it is pushing hard on narrative and combat systems. The studio is known for immersive design and detail-heavy worlds, and if this budget number is real, Marvel’s Blade could end up being their biggest title yet.
What do you think about this kind of investment behind Blade? Think it’ll pay off for Arkane? Let us know in the comments.
