Marvel's Blade was one of the surprise announcements at the Game Awards 2023, and ho boy did it go down well. In development at Arkane Lyon, of Dishonored and Deathloop fame, it's set to be an original story based on the Blade comics featuring the now iconic coat and glasses of Marvel's resident vampire hunter-slash-dhampir.
All we've had so far on Marvel's Blade is pretty minimal, but what we do know is sounding very appealing indeed: it's a third-person, single-player, mature original story set in Paris. While we don't expect to see Blade join the ranks of new games for 2024 to expect in the coming months, the studio has well and truly caught our attention with its slick Marvel's Blade teaser trailer in lurid shades of blood red and black.
For now, we'll round up everything we know about Marvel's Blade, from the studio behind it to any other information given by Arkane Lyon at this early stage in the development process.
Marvel's Blade release date and platforms
Interestingly, there are no confirmed platforms or a Marvel's Blade release date as yet. While the release date won't come as much of a surprise, particularly with Studio/Co-Creative Director Dinga Bakaba saying the team is going to be "silent for a while" while the team works on the game.
The lack of platforms though is interesting because Arkane Lyon is now part of the Xbox Game Studios portfolio, all owned by Microsoft Gaming. So you would assume that (like Starfield) that it would be coming to both PC and Xbox Series X. Interestingly, the trailer and accompanying press release doesn't come with a platform confirmation.
We're going to stay silent for a while so before they put @mitmitman and I back in the box, let me just say this is an absolute blast to work on, hats off to the team, you are really fucking killing it.I've never been so excited for a project and I'm not crying you're crying!December 8, 2023
Marvel's Blade trailer
The first Marvel's Blade trailer dropped as part of the Game Awards 2023. It's a cinematic affair that essentially gives us a small snapshot of the setting and our first introduction to Blade as a character.
Marvel's Blade story and setting
Marvel's Blade will feature an original story that's more 'mature' in tone that we might expect from other Marvel games. It's based on the comic book hero Blade, but this is an entirely new story.
"As a kid of mixed origins, I felt a special connection to Blade – a hero with a dual heritage himself," said Dinga Bakaba, Game Director, Arkane Lyon. "The opportunity to put our spin on this character is a dream of mine and a challenge that our team embraces with a passion. We couldn’t be happier to put players in Blade’s boots, as he becomes the champion of my hometown of Paris, one stake at a time."
"From his trench coat to his iconic sunglasses, Blade is a slick, stylish, and driven character," said Sebastien Mitton, Co-Creative and Art Director, Arkane Lyon. "This project is the perfect opportunity to push Arkane’s art style into an even more modern and bold territory. The essence of our work lives at the junction of impactful ideas and innovative know-how."
All we know about the story so far is that it'll tell the story of Blade who finds himself in a quarantined section of Paris in the middle of a vampiric emergency. Parisians are being forced to stay inside their homes at night, so clearly Blade has got some drama to deal with.
Marvel's Blade gameplay
Marvel's Blade gameplay will see us experience a single-player, third-person adventure. But other than that we really don't have any idea as to what it will entail. Arkane Lyon has an excellent history with inventive combat, and we assume Blade's sword is going to be key in the action here, along with a gun loaded with silver bullets.
While we wait for more info, check out all the other upcoming Marvel games for 2024 and beyond.
