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Bethesda Game Studios head Todd Howard has offered an update on the long-in-development Marvel’s Blade, which is based on Marvel’s vampire-slaying superhero.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Howard said he’d recently seen what the Deathloop team at Arkane Lyon was cooking up but couldn’t say when fans would get another update.
“I’m not at liberty to say when [we’ll see more],” Howard teased, “but I saw some stuff just yesterday [on May 21] and the folks at Arkane [Studios, the developers] are doing a really, really great job.”
It’s not much, but after years without concrete updates amid troubled times at the Xbox company, it’s nice to hear anything at all. It’s an especially welcome update considering rumors of a potential cancelation surfaced as recently as this month.
Fans first began to fear the worst after Blade was a no-show at the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase. As the days that followed the early June presentation saw reports warning of impending shutdowns for developers like Ninja Theory, Double Fine, and Compulsion Games, Marvel fans feared Arkane and Blade could be next on the chopping block.
There’s no denying that Microsoft’s gaming endeavors are in a period of uncertainty as new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma hits the reset button. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment on the reported cuts, and on Marvel’s Blade specifically we’ve asked Marvel Games for comment. Neither has responded.
Marvel’s Blade Concept Art
“In Marvel’s Blade, Eric Brooks is the legendary Daywalker, half-man, half-vampire torn between the warm society of the living and the rushing power of the undead,” an official description for Blade says. “From Bethesda and Arkane Lyon, Marvel’s Blade is a mature, single-player, third-person game set in the heart of Paris, now in development in collaboration with Marvel Games.”
Marvel’s Blade was first announced back in December 2023 and currently has no release date. That means we’ll have gone three years without another official look at the project when The Game Awards roll around later this year.
While we wait to see Blade unsheathe his sword and sharpen his fangs, you can check out one of the few reveals we’ve gotten since its announcement: some concept art. You can also see why we called Blade Marvel’s secret weapon back in 2023.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
