Arkane Studios art and co-creative director Sébastien Mitton says Marvel's Blade builds on all of the studio's previous development experience and releases, and yes, that does include Redfall.
Over on Bethesda's official website, Mitton reflects on previous Arkane projects as the studio celebrates its 25th birthday, starting with the 2002 action-RPG Arx Fatalis, which Mitton calls "a bold project" that " ignited our passion for creating immersive worlds and letting players loose in them to find amazing (and often surprising!) ways to overcome challenges and tell their own story."
He then touches on early collaborations with other studios on "a series of ambitious projects", some of which "never saw release." Mitton doesn't name any specific projects, but before Bethesda recruited Arkane to make Dishonored, the studio worked with various studios including Ubisoft for the 2006 action-RPG Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, Valve for the canceled Half-Life spinoff Ravenholm, and Ubisoft for the canceled parkour game LMNO. During that time, Arkane also developed the multiplayer component of Call of Duty: World at War and helped with "design, animation, and art" on BioShock 2.
"These experiences shaped our vision and approach to creative and innovative game design," Mitton says. "We combined magic and action in a physical, visceral way. We fused suspense with creative puzzles. We experimented with bold multiplayer dynamics. And we explored thought-provoking emotional and narrative depth. Together, these projects proved that storytelling, gameplay and art can combine to create breathtaking magic – a core tenant that is now part of our studio DNA."
Mitton then moves on to reflections on the projects that would make Arkane the respected maker of immersive sims it is today. Although it tragically failed and its studio Arkane Austin shut down, Redfall is credited with advancing Arkane's storytelling.
"It is through this period of experimentation and growth that Dishonored and its sequels were born, offering a world of heroes and choices where every action had consequences," he says. "In Prey, we challenged the perception of reality in a mind-bending Sci-Fi thriller, while in Redfall, we took our storytelling into the modern world with science-based vampires and an experience built around camaraderie.
"Finally, DEATHLOOP allowed us to explore time in a playful way, with aesthetics, music and gameplay that captivated gamers around the world."
And lastly, a morsel of information about Marvel's Blade, which was announced at The Game Awards 2023. Mitton says he's "damn proud and excited to explore uncharted dimensions of our art." Speaking of art, the post includes some new renders of the main cast of the game, pictured up above.
I know it isn't much, but Arkane has been pretty dang quiet about the game in the months since its reveal, so it's just good to hear things are still chuggin' behind the scenes.
Marvel's Blade has no release date, but it's probably safe to say it won't be included in our round-up of new games of 2024.
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