Ubisoft has reportedly put in a bid to acquire Arkane Lyon, the developer of Dishonored and Deathloop, from Xbox, according to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg. Several companies have put in bids, with Ubisoft being the only one named. The sale of Arkane comes as part of Xbox's ongoing 'reset' under CEO Asha Sharma, which has seen mass layoffs and studio restructuring. Arkane could also be sold to its own management, making it an independent studio like Double Fine and Compulsion Games. The future of Arkane's IPs, including Marvel's Blade, remains uncertain.
The bid raises concerns about the potential impact on Arkane's employees and projects, given Ubisoft's own restructuring and layoffs in recent months. However, Arkane's prospects as an independent studio might not be much brighter, given the challenges many studios face in securing project funding. For example, Double Fine rolled out layoffs after going independent. Meanwhile, Ninja Theory is also trying to secure a buyer after two separate deals to save the studio fell through.