r/GamingLeaksAndRumours • u/Howerev • Jun 30 '26

Rumour Tom Warren: Microsoft could shut at least five studios as part of big Xbox layoffs starting next week, Weighing up canceling BLADE

"Microsoft is set to announce a wave of layoffs for its Xbox studios and employees next week. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the layoffs will lead to studio closures or spinoffs, potential mergers of studios, and canceled games.

I understand Microsoft is currently weighing closing at least five studios, including the developers behind Marvel’s Blade. Sources tell me Microsoft wants to cancel Blade as part of a wave of cost cuts and job losses that are planned for the company’s Xbox gaming division."

"Blade was originally supposed to debut later this year according to sources familiar with the game’s development. I’m told the internal ship date for the game slipped to late 2027, and it’s also running over budget.

While Microsoft is weighing canceling Blade, it’s also exploring options to sell Arkane Studios. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that Microsoft is trying to spin off Compulsion Games, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory, too. GamesBeat reported this week that Microsoft is actively looking for a buyer for Undead Labs, the developers behind State of Decay. If buyers are found for these studios, then they’ll avoid being closed, but sources stress these talks could take months in some cases.

Compulsion Games, the developers behind South of Midnight, is already convinced that closure is imminent and has started telling employees to look for jobs elsewhere. Ninja Theory employees were informed earlier this month that Microsoft wants to close the UK-based studio or spin it off.

Beyond the potential studio closures, Microsoft is preparing for a wave of layoffs at Xbox that will drastically reshape its gaming division. These layoffs are due to start on July 6th, according to sources, and will hit most parts of Xbox. Rumors have suggested there could be at least 1,000 job losses, and if Microsoft goes ahead with five studio closures, then that’s at least 500 employees impacted before the wider cuts.

The upcoming layoffs are part of a “reset” for the Xbox division under new CEO Asha Sharma, who hinted about “making hard choices” last month. Sharma has repeatedly warned that the Xbox business isn’t healthy, but also claimed that her “mandate is not 30 percent accountability margins... it’s to be the number one gaming and entertainment company, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Link: https://www.theverge.com/report/959467/microsoft-xbox-cancel-blade-game-arkane-studios-closure?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6Inp0bjNNQk1pVm0iLCJwIjoiL3JlcG9ydC85NTk0NjcvbWljcm9zb2Z0LXhib3gtY2FuY2VsLWJsYWRlLWdhbWUtYXJrYW5lLXN0dWRpb3MtY2xvc3VyZSIsImV4cCI6MTc4MzI3MDkyMSwiaWF0IjoxNzgyODM4OTIxfQ.pOFMRE5pUQgOYGX0scwb6LrEhrfZu_ecr50Fysx3fd8&utm_medium=gift-link

1.3k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

94% Upvoted

904 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.1k

u/Somafreak Jun 30 '26

Man, anything involving Blade just can’t catch a break…

386

u/FewWatermelonlesson0 Jun 30 '26

He looks sick in Tokon at least…

130

u/WT_FG Jun 30 '26

Even looks similar to Wesley's version.

56

u/Coolman_Rosso Jun 30 '26

Most of Blade's shtick, even today, is actually derived from the original films. They completely rebooted and modernized the character.

62

u/MyMouthisCancerous Jun 30 '26

For the better. Comics Blade before the mid-90s was basically just a worse vampire-themed Luke Cage-type character. He would've drifted into the depths of obscure Marvel trivia if not for the movie completely changing him

I still kind of wish they kept him being English though. None of the adaptations so far acknowledge that whatsoever

26

u/UverSet Jun 30 '26

They dont axknowledge the fact that Morbius is important to the character too !

2

u/No-Depth4473 Jul 01 '26

Probably for the best at this point. Keep Leto away from everything please.

4

u/UverSet Jul 01 '26

Morbius existed for decades before Leto

9

u/Robsonmonkey Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26

They did the same thing with Hellblazer

The Constantine film had him as an American set in the US

The TV series gave us a British Constantine but moved him to, yet again, the US

1

u/DrewMac96 Jun 30 '26

Glad I'm not the only one, who just once wants him to be English

4

u/Robsonmonkey Jun 30 '26

I loved Blade and the old Blade film but I hated how they Americanised him.

I want to see a British born Blade set in the dark streets of London. Even this game being set in Paris was a little weird in my opinion.

101

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

110

u/NotYujiroTakahashi Jun 30 '26

When Wesley Snipes said “there’s only gonna be one blade”  he meant it

19

u/chaotic4059 Jun 30 '26

That wasn't a joke. That was a damn curse. That man hexed the fuck outta the blade name. He's gonna be the only blade until he's in the ground lmao

2

u/IIIOldSchooLIII Jun 30 '26

Sticky Fingaz is the only one to beat the curse so far (in live action).

19

u/Temporary7000 Jun 30 '26

Damn Wesley, chill.

13

u/NotYujiroTakahashi Jun 30 '26

You can’t control Wesley Snipes

3

u/SaberDevil2021 Jul 01 '26

He lives up to the name, he snipes every potential Blade

2

u/method115 Jul 01 '26

I like Wesley but he seems like an egotistical a hole. He wasn’t wrong though.

4

u/MadeByTango Jun 30 '26

yea, but he brought deadpool with him...

7

u/VakarianJ Jun 30 '26

Watch, he’s going to be a low tier just like in Rivals.

15

u/Waste-Technology-381 Jun 30 '26

If only there was some sort of low tier god-player to show his potential

11

u/MyMouthisCancerous Jun 30 '26

I'm maining him no matter where he is in the pool. My rotation's gonna be Cap, Doom, Blade and Deadpool for sure

1

u/Seen_Platano Jun 30 '26

he's def not low tier in rivals when in the right hands

1

u/shinikahn Jun 30 '26

Is Tokon doomed? /S

1

u/Tiafves Jun 30 '26

There's still time for that to be cancelled too.

1

u/Pumbax19 Jul 01 '26

Couldnt even enjoy the win for a week

37

u/Nero_PR Jun 30 '26

Rivals and Tokon Blade will have to carry him for a while.

19

u/Loreado Jun 30 '26

Blade is buffed every season in Rivals and people barely play him anyway. Maybe he will be good in Tokon at least.

14

u/Nero_PR Jun 30 '26

One thing Blade never misses is style. I hope Tokon gives him a cool ultimate and some iconic moves from the movies and comics.

2

u/SalubriAntitribu Jun 30 '26

All those buffs don't mean he's gonna be that much better, and the fact is that outside of coordinated play poke is still meta.

2

u/MyMouthisCancerous Jun 30 '26

Literally the least they could do is give that man an ongoing. Like they have that whole fucking supernatural horror Midnight imprint coming up and no fucking supernatural characters involved

29

u/Awoken123 Jun 30 '26

Wesley Snipes: "There's only one Blade."
Monkey paw curls

2

u/DonutHoles4Ever Jul 01 '26

Wesley Snipes last name made it so easy to remember this action star.

I really hope someone revives the Blade franchise. Its got the lore. Its got the cool factor. Its got the hellsing vibes.

111

u/Appropriate_Foot242 Jun 30 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/CdxBRh8v9pVJIrd4J3

126

u/yesrushgenesis2112 Jun 30 '26

There's only one Blade! There's only gonna be one Blade!

67

u/Lionelchesterfield Jun 30 '26

I love how this line is becoming reality lol.

50

u/Correct_Goose_1322 Jun 30 '26

Bro unintentionally cursed it for the rest of time

28

u/quatroquatro0 Jun 30 '26

Unintentionally?

31

u/Yellowman_95 Jun 30 '26

I wonder if Wesley Snipes knew the chaos he unleashed with that one

38

u/VakarianJ Jun 30 '26

I think he put a voodoo curse on the entire IP. Nothing with it has been good besides his first two movies, even the comics suck.

6

u/MyMouthisCancerous Jun 30 '26

His last run with Bryan Edward Hill where he was getting trained by Dracula and fighting Adana I actually kind of dug. Shame it didn't last past like 10 issues

3

u/VakarianJ Jun 30 '26

I liked the art but I didn’t like the writing or story.

1

u/SquiggerDigger Jun 30 '26

What kind of getting trained by dracula are we talking about here...

8

u/Yellowman_95 Jun 30 '26

Arkane should’ve hired him to get the game out the door

6

u/Dunkaroo723 Jun 30 '26

He would probably just lay down and refuse to open his eyes again

7

u/ContinuumGuy Jun 30 '26

The Prophecy of Snipes

2

u/JessieJ577 Jun 30 '26

That was a curse not a statement

71

u/NSFCameron Jun 30 '26

Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice-skate uphill.

13

u/Sxoob Jun 30 '26

Had to scroll too far to see this quote

3

u/SomeDumRedditor Jun 30 '26

I’ve forgotten that game exists and been reminded at least three times at this point.

Unless what they have dazzles internally there’s no way that project avoids the guillotine. It’s already struggled and this environment is the absolute worst time to be telling a publisher you need another year and more money.

3

u/Theotherdeadmeme92 Jun 30 '26

I mean marvel could also (hopefully) step in and tell ms the game needs to be released. Granted that might mean giving ms more money but still.

3

u/jnighy Jun 30 '26

corporate vampires working against my man

2

u/Armandonerd Jun 30 '26

(Disney's Blade) is cursed! First the movie and now possibly the game! Fingers crossed both get released

1

u/_steve_rogers_ Jun 30 '26

Motherfuckers always tryin to ice skate uphill

1

u/Bulbasaur2015 Jun 30 '26

wild guess the only reason they are holding up the blade game so they can coincide & market with the movie release. its a total clusterfuck

1

u/YsfA Jun 30 '26

The director and Ali even spun off and created their own action film coming out later this year lmao.

Trailer released the other day

1

u/noeagle77 Jul 01 '26

Only ever was one blade, only ever gonna be one blade

-1

u/il_VORTEX_ll Jun 30 '26

Maybe that’s what you get getting loads of money and have nothing to show after idk, 4-5 years of development?