Marvel's Blade May Have a Long Way to Go, But Fans Have the…

Ever since Marvel’s Blade was first announced at The Game Awards 2023, Marvel fans have been eagerly waiting for official news and details on the upcoming title. Being published by Bethesda Softworks and developed by Arkane Studios, known for Dishonored and Redfall, recently published Arkane Studios' financial statements have suggested that Marvel’s Blade only began full production in late 2024. Due to this development, Blade likely won't launch till late 2027 at the earliest unless Blade turns out to be smaller than expected. However, fans of Marvel’s most famous vampire can find respite for the time being in one other game: Marvel Rivals.

update on marvel's blade more important than ever

Why an Update on Marvel's Blade is More Important Than Ever

With the delays and cancellations of other Blade content and Marvel media, an update on Marvel's Blade can restore the hope of fans.

Posts

By Chris Nicholls

Marvel Rivals’ Blade Explained

Blade, otherwise known as Eric Cross Brooks, has been heavily teased in Marvel Rivals throughout the game’s near one-year-long existence. He first appeared in Season 1: Eternal Night Falls second event, Midnight Features II, wherein Blade was declared missing, last seen in Central Park, and confirmed to have a daughter named Brielle Brooks. Blade was later discovered to have been captured by Dracula, as shown in the "Fall of Midtown" Gallery card, but was freed and subsequently slew Dracula. Since then, the future of Blade was unknown until the trailer for Marvel Rivals’ Season 3: The Abyss Awakens released. Here, The Phoenix and Blade are shown fighting off Goddess of Death, Hela, who had recently sworn allegiance to Knull, God of Symbiotes, to become the Queen in Black.

While The Phoenix and Blade won’t make their playable debut in Marvel Rivals until the official launch of Season 3: The Abyss Awakens on July 11th, credible leaker RivalsInfo released a brief clip of Blade’s gameplay four days before Blade’s launch. In the clip, Blade is shown using a sword in typical stylish fashion and what appears to be a pistol that can take down players in four shots. On top of the gameplay clip, RivalsInfo previously disclosed Blade’s hero’s ability kit, featuring the Blade Chopper and his hunting shotgun, as well as two skills called Blood Liberation and Step and Chop. Blood Liberation will allow Blade to heal by inflicting damage, while Step and Chop will reduce opponents' movement speed and healing.

Predicting Marvel’s Blade’s Gameplay and Future Announcements

In recent years, Blade has slowly achieved a new level of popularity since his mainstream breakout in the 1998 film Blade, starring Wesley Snipes as the titular half vampire. Marvel Studios previously announced the development of a new Blade film for the MCU in 2019 starring Mahershala Ali, but the film is now considered to be stuck in development or canceled. Despite film issues, Blade went on to star in his own Marvel comic event called Blood Hunt starting in May 2024 and Snipes returned to reprise the character in 2024’s record-breaking Deadpool & Wolverine, 20 years since his last appearance in Blade: Trinity. With these developments, Bethesda and Arkane may want to showcase some news or gameplay on Marvel’s Blade relatively soon to maintain Blade’s newfound popularity.

Arkane is best known for developing first-person games, so it’s likely Marvel’s Blade will be first-person as well. However, Marvel’s Blade could feature similar stylish sword gameplay as Marvel Rivals’ interpretation of the character on top of more direct vampiric abilities akin to the mana-based abilities seen in the Dishonored series. If development on Marvel’s Blade did truly begin until late 2024, players could possibly expect to see news on the title starting in early 2026, with a potential early gameplay showcase revealed in mid to late 2026, such as an Xbox Games Showcase or an appearance at 2026’s Game Awards. Dishonored began development as early as 2009, so there is precedent for Arkane to release a standout game within a three-year timeframe.