Arkane Lyon Union Blames Microsoft for the Delays It Now Uses to Justify Closure

Members of the French video game union STJV (Syndicat des travailleureuses du jeu vidéo) at Arkane Lyon have accused Microsoft of sabotaging Marvel’s Blade. In a statement published on November 4, the union claims a 19-month hiring freeze created the very delays and extra costs that Microsoft now cites as economic grounds for closing the studio. It also says work on Blade is going fine, with expected quality on par with Arkane’s earlier games. Xbox hasn’t responded publicly yet.

The union goes further, arguing that Arkane is profitable, “just not profitable enough for Microsoft.” Apparently, the studio’s cash always looks low because leftover money gets sent up to the group through cash pooling, and sales of its older games, which STJV puts in the tens of millions, don’t show up in the company results. It adds that closing Arkane would probably cost more than finishing Blade. The union wants workers to have a say in picking a buyer, along with a fund that would protect anyone a new…