Dishonored and Deathloop studio has 22 days to save itself from corporate extinction
Arkane Lyon, the studio behind Dishonored, Deathloop and the forthcoming Blade, faces possible closure as Microsoft seeks a buyer under French employment law. The search gives the studio a chance to continue operating independently and puts hundreds of jobs at stake.
The union says Microsoft began the required three-month search in mid-summer, with 217 positions at risk and less than a month remaining. Several potential buyers are reportedly interested, and Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier says multiple options to save the studio are being explored; a union representative also says Blade is nearing completion.
In short
- Arkane Lyon faces possible closure under Microsoft restructuring.
- French law requires a three-month search for a buyer.
- 217 roles are at risk, with buyers reportedly interested.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Selling Arkane Lyon could preserve a distinctive studio, its projects and hundreds of skilled jobs while allowing it to keep making games under new ownership. With several potential buyers reportedly interested and Blade said to be nearing completion, an independent future may be viable and could protect value that would be lost in a closure.
The case against
If Microsoft cannot find a buyer able to sustain the studio, closing it may be seen as a difficult but commercially responsible response to the costs and risks of keeping it operating. A sale alone would not guarantee long-term stability for staff or projects, so any decision would need to weigh the prospects of a credible rescue against the resources required to continue.
Explained simply
Arkane Lyon is a video game studio in France, known for making Dishonored and Deathloop. It is also working on Blade, a game based on the Marvel character.
The studio is part of Microsoft, which owns the Xbox games business. French employment law requires a search for a buyer before some planned closures, giving a studio the possibility of continuing under new ownership.
A change of ownership could affect the studio’s future and the jobs of its 217 staff. It could also shape what happens to Blade and to the games Arkane Lyon might make next.