Highlights
- Marvel's Blade game was announced at The Game Awards 2023 without target platforms, causing confusion among fans.
- Microsoft's ownership of Arkane Studios suggests that the game will be an Xbox console exclusive. However, the company has historically been happy to advertise Xbox console exclusivity with both first-party titles and timed indie exclusives.
- It is possible that Microsoft and Disney have not yet agreed to an exclusivity deal for Marvel's Blade, or that the game is still so early in development that it's simply not ready to commit to any platforms.
The announcement of Marvel's Blade has created some vocal confusion concerning the game's target platforms among the fandom. The Blade game from Dishonored developer Arkane Studios was officially unveiled at The Game Awards 2023.
With a runtime of 83 seconds, the December 7 reveal trailer had enough time to offer some hints about the game's story, setting, and art style. However, it curiously ended on the Marvel's Blade logo without mentioning anything in the way of its target platforms. Since Microsoft has owned Arkane Studios since completing its ZeniMax Media acquisition in March 2021, some fans have opined that attaching platform availability information to the trailer would have been redundant.
Blade's Reportedly Lower Budget Makes A Lot Of Sense
Blade's budget is shockingly low, but it's not as big a deal as some people are making it out to be.
But not everyone agrees with that sentiment, as there's currently no shortage of social media reactions to the trailer that are wondering why Microsoft wouldn't want to advertise the game's Xbox console exclusivity, much like it was previously happy to do with everything from first-party titles to timed indie exclusives. Windows Central was even bombarded by fan inquiries on the matter after taking the liberty to assume that Marvel's Blade wouldn't be coming to PlayStation, according to a subsequent clarification written by its managing editor, Jez Corden.
While Microsoft has yet to chime in on all this confusion, its recent track record does suggest that Marvel's Blade won't be coming to PlayStation. Namely, all titles published by Arkane Studios parent Bethesda since early 2021 were Xbox console exclusives, except for the externally developed Quake remasters, and the Deathloop-Ghostwire: Tokyo combo, which was already tied to existing platform agreements by the time Microsoft acquired ZeniMax.
There Are Multiple Explanations for Why Marvel’s Blade Was Revealed Without Target Platforms
One feasible explanation for why Marvel's Blade is currently lacking platform availability information would be that Microsoft and Disney simply haven't yet agreed to an exclusivity deal. Alternatively, since the game itself appears to be in early development, it's possible that Microsoft considers it to be too far away for committing to specific platforms. The company definitely has a cutoff point beyond which it's reluctant to talk about platform availability, as underlined by Phil Spencer's recent comments on The Elder Scrolls 6 release window, which saw the Microsoft Gaming CEO outright state how that game is too far out to seriously discuss whether it will come to PlayStation.
While Marvel's Blade coming to PlayStation would be a largely unprecedented move, that still doesn't make it completely impossible. After all, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella just recently claimed he'd gladly eliminate all console exclusivity if doing so was completely up to him. And though it isn't, bankrolling a high-profile multi-platform release of this sort would certainly be a big step in that direction, however unlikely.
