Marvel’s Blade Has Been In Development Since January 2022

Bethesda Game Studios’ upcoming Marvel’s Blade appears to have been under the works since January 2022. The game was officially announced at The Game Awards recently with the reveal trailer suggesting that the developer studio Arkane Lyon has only recently initiated the production. However, as indicated by the LinkedIn profile of an Arkane dev, the Deathloop developer started its work on Disney’s IP way back in early 2022.

First spotted by Twitter/X user, BethWilder26, the LinkedIn profile of Arkane Studios’ Campaign Director Dana Nightingale suggests that they have been working as the principal designer of Marvel’s Blade campaign since January 2022. Given Nightingale’s years of experience at Arkane and their overall seniority, it is only possible for them to be involved in the project from its very beginning. On the contrary, Bethesda has clearly stated that the development “has just begun.”

On the other side, there’s much likelihood that the game entered its pre-production state during that phase and has only initiated the main development recently, as the reveal trailer clearly worded “now in development,” suggesting a recent inception.

Beyond the unveiling trailer, there is limited information available about Marvel’s Blade. The developer studio also refrained from disclosing the release platforms during the official announcement, leading to confusion among fans. A fan theory emerged pointing at a fair possibility of the title missing the current-gen consoles at its release. However, with development starting in early 2022, a two-year timeline makes a current-gen release quite likely.

Moreover, the lack of information on target platforms has led the fans to bet on a PlayStation port of Bethesda’s title. It was earlier assumed that Disney might be in negotiations with Microsoft regarding the target platforms but Disney has now clarified that the decision rests entirely with Bethesda. However, all these questions would only be answered in case of an official announcement by Arkane Lyon.

Marvel’s Blade is a mature single-player third-person adventure game set in Paris, where players take on the role of the beloved comic book hero, Eric Brooks. The game is in development by Arkane Studios which is known for critically acclaimed games like Deathloop and Dishonored. Bethesda Softworks has taken on the publishing duties.