Marvel’s Blade just got announced, coming from Arkane Lyon.
The trailer just got revealed at The Game Awards for 2023. This title is sure to arrive for PC and Xbox Series X|S, but we will confirm if it will arrive for other platforms later.
Geoff Keighley interviewed Arkane’s heads immediately after the reveal. Geoff confirmed that the game is early in development, and Arkane described it as a 3rd person action adventure set in Paris.
The character Blade first appeared in Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula # 10 in 1973, a co-creation of Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan. He is a dhampir, the result of a union between a vampire and a human. In the comics, he had to be developed as a character through the years, but would eventually become known for his vendetta against vampires, and for his propensity to team up with other vampire hunters.
While he has been around for 50 years, he is best known thanks to the film series produced by New Line Cinema, and starring Wesley Snipes. Wesley’s movies released in 1998, 2002, and 2004, and their commercial and critical success are often credited for being the impetus for Marvel to enter the film industry directly, becoming who they are today.
There is a newer film version of Blade on the way, that will be incorporated into the modern day Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mahershala Ali was cast in 2019, but production has been delayed for various reasons. Principal filming is expected to start next year, with a planned release date of 2025.
And this new film adaptation is relevant because it may be part of the reason that Marvel has agreed to license Blade with Xbox, to be produced with Arkane Lyon. This studio developed the Dishonored games, Deathloop, two modern Wolfenstein games, and for better or worse, Redfall.
That trailer was clearly intended to communicate, that not only are Arkane making this game, but it will be completely different from Redfall. It’s also the first Marvel licensed game with Xbox, after it seemed that Sony had a stranglehold on their properties with the Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Wolverine games.
What makes this announcement really special is that it’s a hint that there’s a new battlefront for PlayStation and Xbox to compete with gamers, on the field of licensing Marvel characters. Neither is likely to grab onto a license as big as the Avengers anytime soon, but if Xbox finds success here, they could work towards other Marvel characters. Imagine, for example, Xbox getting a grip on Marvel’s more supernatural side. That could mean video games for Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, Man-Thing, Moon Knight, and the real star of the show, Morbius.
And some people can argue that these characters aren’t as famous or popular as Spider-Man and Wolverine, but, lest we forget, the reason Marvel is what it is, is their ability to turn obscure and lesser known characters to superstars.
You can watch the trailer for Marvel’s Blade below.
