Editorial classification: report. The information below comes from a Bloomberg report, covered on November 3, 2026, by VGC, KitGuru, Kotaku and Shacknews, based on anonymous sources close to the negotiations. It is not an official sale announcement: so far, none of the companies has publicly confirmed the bids.
According to the report, Ubisoft has bid to buy Arkane Lyon, the studio behind Dishonored and Deathloop, from Microsoft. At least two other gaming companies are also said to have made offers. The terms were not disclosed and, according to Kotaku, Microsoft is not yet satisfied with the proposals.
Microsoft is also reportedly considering selling the studio to its own management team, which would make it independent — a path similar to Double Fine and Compulsion Games, also cited in the report. A Microsoft spokesperson told Bloomberg the company continues to explore options ahead of the December deadline.
If a deal is reached, development of Marvel's Blade, announced in 2023, would most likely continue uninterrupted, according to Bloomberg. The future of the game and of the roughly 217 jobs at the Lyon studio remains open: without a buyer, full closure remains on the table.
The sale is part of Xbox's 'reset' under CEO Asha Sharma, which put Arkane among the studios to be divested. The deadline to find a buyer, previously set for November 13, was extended to December 13 — as Geekiki had already reported.
There is also a curious detail in the possible pairing: Ubisoft and Arkane are both French, and Ubisoft previously published an Arkane game, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, from 2006. That, however, does not guarantee a deal — and Ubisoft itself has gone through recent restructuring and cuts, a point raised by VGC.
Update to the previous Geekiki article: Arkane Lyon given until December 13 to find a buyer. This is a new chapter of the same story, not a standalone article on the topic.
Image credit: Arkane Studios/Bethesda, via KitGuru (Dishonored 2 artwork).
Sources: VGC — Ubisoft has reportedly offered to buy Arkane Lyon from Xbox; KitGuru — Ubisoft and others reportedly make offers to buy Arkane Studios; Kotaku — Ubisoft Among Those Bidding On Marvel’s Blade Studio Arkane; Shacknews — Ubisoft reportedly among the bidders for Arkane Studios.
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on cross-checking public posts on X and sources on the internet. Check the original sources to confirm the details before sharing.
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