Arkane’s Blade Game is Not Confirmed as an Xbox Exclusive, But It Should Be

Since Marvel has been dominating the box office for years now, it would make sense that the gaming industry would want a slice of that market. While superhero games have always existed, it seems like there is a bit of a resurgence with the likes of Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man, Firaxis’ Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. And now Arkane is joining the fray with the recently announced Marvel’s Blade.

Not much is known about Marvel’s Blade, but what the studio has shared sounds extremely exciting. It will be a brand-new mature single-player adventure from the creators of Deathloop and Dishonored. That sounds like the perfect match, so hopefully it delivers. And while some players assumed that it was going to be an Xbox exclusive, it currently seems like it will not be. However, not making it one feels like a massive mistake.

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Marvel’s Blade Seems Like the Perfect Xbox Exclusive Experience

Xbox Really Needs a Big New Headlining Franchise

The announcement trailer for Marvel’s Blade made no mention of the consoles it would launch on, nor does it have the Xbox Game Studios logo. Yet, Arkane is an Xbox studio, so it would make sense for it to be an Xbox Series X exclusive. However, there is no confirmation one way or the other, which seems odd. Especially because it seems like it is exactly what Microsoft needs right now.

While Microsoft has something great with Xbox Game Pass, it does not really have a headlining franchise right now. Halo Infinite left much to be desired, Minecraft‘s spin-offs do not have mass appeal, Gears of War is nowhere to be found, and the next Fallout or Elder Scrolls is miles away. The only consistent franchise it really has is Forza Motorsport, but that could all change if it explored the Marvel universe further.

Marvel’s Blade is likely a ways off, but if it is a hit, then it could give Xbox a brand-new massive franchise to play with. The Marvel universe is filled to the brim with characters to explore, and gaming is the perfect place to do that. Plus, it is said to be mature, which would make it drastically different from almost every superhero game before it. That sounds like a great way to tap into a previously untapped market for Xbox, so making the game exclusive seems like an obvious choice.

Blade is a Great Anthesis to Spider-Man

It is not like Marvel forbids exclusive games either, as Sony seems to be going all in on the Marvel universe. Even though Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales launched on Steam, the franchise was conceived as a PlayStation exclusive. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 continued that trend, and Marvel’s Wolverine is set to expand that exclusivity into other Marvel heroes. If Sony can build a PlayStation Marvel universe, then there is seemingly no reason Xbox cannot follow suit.

While the console wars may be fading into obscurity, Marvel’s Blade seems like the perfect competitor to Marvel’s Spider-Man. As Sony gives players open-world adventures with their favorite web swinger, Xbox could be giving them dark and gritty vampire-slaying games through Blade. Plus, if that game succeeds, then the studio could delve even further into the supernatural side of the Marvel universe. This would not only give Xbox its own unique version of Marvel to play with, but would also give players so many more options, which is always a good thing.

It seems strange that Xbox would not plaster its logo all over Marvel’s Blade or announce that it is an exclusive game. There is a chance that this is the start of the studio moving away from its console to be more of a multiplatform developer, or it could simply be waiting to reveal more as the release date nears. Whatever the case may be, this silence is deafening, so hopefully, it knows what it is doing.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man and its Miles Morales spin-off, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a PS5 console exclusive. Insomniac’s open-world game features Peter Parker and Miles Morales as dual protagonists, with the two heroes going up against the likes of Kraven, Venom, and Lizard. 

Released

October 20, 2023

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

20 Hours

Metascore

90

PS Plus Availability

N/A