Arkane lead says Marvel's Blade will "explore uncharted dimensions of our art" building on Dishonored, Prey, Deathloop, and yes, even Redfall
Oct. 10, 2024Art and co-creative director Sébastien Mitton reflects on 25 years of Arkane
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Arkane Studiosart and co-creative director Sébastien Mitton saysMarvel’s Bladebuilds on all of the studio’s previous development experience and releases, and yes, that does includeRedfall.
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 includingUbisoftfor the 2006 action-RPG Dark Messiah of Might and Magic,Valvefor 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 andhelped 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. Althoughit tragically failedandits 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.”
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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.
After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer, I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.
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