Arkane Lyon started the development of the new Blade game. Why Blade videogame is so important for Arkane and the character relaunch. Let’s discover it here.
On the Game Awards night, Arkane Lyon announced the start of the development of Blade.
This game is a third person, immersive sim in the world of the Marvel character Blade.
This announcement comes after years of silence with the announcement of the production of the next Blade movie, a very troubled project.
Blade’s announcement is not so surprising, because the next movie is coming on November 7, 2025.
Disney and Marvel have the interest of maximizing the sellings, after the last flops and a relaunch of Blade with a multimedia approach is a good way to recover the money and the trust of the public.
Arkane and Vampires
Arkane is a great software house, and some of his games are very great immersive sim,
games like death loop, prey and dishonored are examples of their ability.
This year Arkane tried something different, a live service open world with vampires, Redfall.
Redfall was a complete failure because of the technical problems, bad gameplay loop, bad A.I. and the weak narration (an important characteristic in all games of the Company).This Blade game can help the company to relaunch but the character of Blade is a very hard challenge, more than they imagine.
Who is Blade?
Blade is the battle name of Eric Brooks a diurnal vampire (a vampire without weakness), Blade is the son of a human woman after a relationship with a vampire.
He is a vampire hunter and in his huntings he collaborated with many Marvel characters like The Punisher, Hannibal King, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, Spider-Man, the S.H.I.E.L.D. and he’s a member of the Midnight Sons.
The character of Blade is an expert in close quarter combat, sword fighting and gun fighting, in the movies uses a 1968 Dodge Charger, but in the comics and cartoons he uses a modified motorcycle that can climb everything.
This makes Blade one of the most lethal characters in the Marvel universe.
What We Can Expect From the Game
Most of Blade’s fans come from the movie trilogy and it’s probably where the game takes inspiration.
Arkane has a great responsibility, because Blade has a great past in cinema, with the first and the second movie. In particular with the second, this character has entered into the history of cinecomic.
All Blade productions from the movies to the TV series have the same structure, here an example.
- Starting combat sequence: Blade kills some vampires in many ways and in some cases this scene gives the starter information about the villain.
- Analysis of threat: Blade with Whistler or other helpers like Scud(played by a young Norman Reedus), Shen (in the TV series) or blood pack in Blade 2 analyze the threat and try to elaborate a strategy to eliminate it.
- First approach with the threat: the first encounter is always a failure but offering some important information can change the situation completely.
- Plot twist and final confrontation: at the end all the unknown truths come to the lights and the threat will be defeated.
Arkane can use this way like Guillermo Del Toro did with the second movie, for having a more safe approach and a good way to create a nice production.
The Combat System, the Core of the Blade’s Character
A video game based on Blade demands a meticulously crafted combat system. Blade combines various combat styles, from martial arts to swordplay and gunfighting, each requiring in-depth attention.
In combat phases, players must wield total control over their character. Blade arsenal is very big and the immersive sim nature of the game can offer many ways to solve the encounters.
Where Arkane might find inspiration for the combat system:
- Martial Arts: A good close quarter combat is essential in close environments and takes inspiration from Metal Gear Solid 3, for the great care taken in this type of combat moves. Speed, damage, stunning are essential skills and a great inspiration can be Jade Empire, a RPG from BioWare.
- Sword Fighting: Arkane Studios could draw inspiration from the combat system of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the sword in Blade is important, because it is the primary weapon of the character. Crafting a complex combat system is essential to ensuring a compelling and immersive combat experience.
- Gun Fighting: Automatic guns and shotguns serve as the character’s secondary weapons. Establishing a balanced system is crucial to amplify the excitement and depth of gunfights.
When Will the Release Date Be
While there isn’t an official release date yet, given Marvel’s manner, it’s highly likely that the game will coincide with the movie release to bolster its launch. The fact that development began in 2022 bodes well for the project.
This is a great chance for Arkane, but they undoubtedly have a lot of hard work ahead.
Good luck Arkane!
