Microsoft fields multiple bids for Xbox's Arkane Studios

What's the deal? Microsoft has received multiple offers to acquire Arkane StudiosDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the French video-game developer behind the Dishonored series, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Ubisoft and at least two other gaming companies have made bids, and Xbox has also weighed selling the studio to its management. Terms were not disclosed, and no agreement has been reached.

Why now? Xbox is weighing its options ahead of a December deadline, a spokesperson said. The move follows a July announcement that Xbox planned to divest Arkane and four other studios as part of what chief executive officer Asha Sharma has called a "reset" of the gaming division's business.

What each side brings: Lyon-based Arkane has made several critically acclaimed games, including the time-traveling action title Deathloop, and is working on an upcoming game based on MarvelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Blade comics. It became part of Xbox through the 2021 acquisition of publisher Bethesda SoftworksDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.

What's the endgame? A deal would likely let Arkane finish Marvel's Blade, announced in 2023 and expected within the next year or two. Reports last month suggested the studio could be shut down, but a sale is far more likely, the people said.

What could go wrong? Xbox has a track record of closing studios it owns. Arkane's sister studio, Arkane Austin, was shuttered in 2024 after the flop of its game Redfall.

The signal: Microsoft is unwinding parts of a gaming empire it spent billions assembling, and rivals like Ubisoft are circling the pieces. The outcome will show whether consolidation in gaming is giving way to a leaner, more selective phase.

Read more: Bloomberg

Image credit: Imágenes libres -@Sonaratv