The enjoyment of a superhero project begins as soon as it is unveiled, and fan anticipation starts to grow. Sometimes, the months of expectations and theory-crafting can be more entertaining than the final product itself (looking at you, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). However, there are rare but very real instances where all the excitement for an upcoming title ends up leading... absolutely nowhere.
Marvel has a bit of a history of announcing big projects only to axe them further down the line. Remember when Armor Wars was supposed to be a thing? There was also a Black Panther solo game in development that was ultimately cancelled. Furthermore, Kumail Nanjiani revealed that he signed on to play Kingo in six Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, a Disney ride, and one video game, though none of that happened after Eternals was released to mixed critical and commercial reception.
With such a shaky track record, fans have started to fear the worst whenever a Marvel project is announced, only to disappear from the public eye for years to follow. As such, gamers around the world started to believe that Arkane Studios' Marvel Blade was silently cancelled. Fortunately, that is far from being the case.
Marvel Blade is still in development at Arkane Lyon
Back in 2023, Marvel and Arkane Studios announced Marvel Blade, a single-player, third-person game that will follow Eric Brooks as he battles a vampire infestation growing in a quarantined section of Paris. While the cinematic reveal trailer didn't feature any gameplay footage, fans hoped it wouldn't be long before they got a better look at the anticipated game. In a way, their wish came true, as soon after, Bethesda released concept art of Marvel Blade. However, there has been nothing but radio silence since then... until now.
Dinga Bakaba, the studio/co-creative director at Arkane Lyon, recently made a fan's Christmas wish a reality. When asked about the progress regarding Marvel Blade, Bakaba replied: "The team is hard at work, everyone is super proud and outdoing themselves. Please be patient, it will be a special game and we all hope it will be meeting the high standards that we set for ourselves and for you all".
While many doubts still surround Marvel Blade, it's reassuring to know that the anticipated title hasn't been cancelled and Arkane Studios is still working on it. Insider eXtas1s revealed that Xbox and Bethesda intend to release the game in November 2027, which is still a long way off. Perhaps a gameplay reveal will come our way in late 2026, right around the time when The Game Awards is held. After all, it would be fitting to see more of Marvel Blade there, considering that the game was unveiled in the 2023 edition of the show in the first place.
Marvel is gearing up for a big 2026 in the video game department. Marvel's Wolverine is finally coming our way, and Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra might still hit shelves throughout the year. Besides, rumor has it that a Marvel's Venom game will be unveiled, and chances are we'll finally see more of Marvel Blade as well. With a bit of luck, 2026 will house all of these releases and reveals, along with more unexpected surprises. But, for the time being, it looks like the iconic vampire hunter will finally get his chance to shine... even if it is not on the big screen (not yet, at least).