A French union representing workers at Arkane Lyon says Microsoft and Xbox are “sabotaging” development of Marvel’s Blade, pointing to a hiring freeze that it argues contributes to delays later used to justify the studio’s closure. The union says the dispute is tied to negotiations with the companies over Arkane’s future.

GamesIndustry.biz and VGC report the core claim that a 19-month hiring freeze led to development delays, which the union says are then cited as justification for shutting down the studio. Rock Paper Shotgun adds that unionised developers frame Arkane as profitable, but argue it is not “profitable enough” for Microsoft under its standards.

Across outlets, the emphasis varies between the specific mechanism of alleged sabotage (the hiring freeze and resulting delays) and the broader negotiating position (calls for redundancy terms and arguments about profitability). All accounts describe the union’s allegations and their link to the wider question of Arkane Lyon’s potential closure and talks with management.