Unionised workers at Arkane Lyon issued a statement accusing Microsoft of engineering the studio's closure by imposing a 19-month hiring freeze and systematically depriving it of resources, then citing those self-inflicted delays and costs as justification for shutting down the developer.
The workers, represented by French union Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo, maintain that work on Marvel's Blade is progressing normally and the game will match previous Arkane releases in quality. They argue that closing the studio would cost Microsoft more than finishing the game, yet the company is proceeding anyway to serve short-term financial goals.
"Arkane is profitable," the statement reads. "Just not profitable enough for Microsoft."
Microsoft announced plans to close Arkane and other studios in July. The workers are calling for a "solid offer" regarding the studio's future, requesting a redundancy payment of €200,000 per worker, two years of redeployment support, training and studio creation resources, and compensation for contract breaches affecting freelancers. They point to Microsoft's stated net profit of over 133 billion dollars in recent years as context for their demands.
The two sides have until December 11th this year to reach a deal. Ubisoft has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring Arkane.