Ever sinceMarvel’s Bladewas 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 forDishonoredandRedfall, recently published Arkane Studios' financial statements have suggested thatMarvel’s Bladeonly 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.
Marvel Rivals’ Blade Explained
Blade, otherwise known as Eric Cross Brooks, has been heavily teased inMarvel Rivalsthroughout 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 forMarvel Rivals’ Season 3: The Abyss Awakensreleased. 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 inMarvel Rivalsuntil 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 healby 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 filmBlade,starring Wesley Snipes as the titular half vampire. Marvel Studios previously announced the development ofa newBladefilm for the MCUin 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 calledBlood Huntstarting in May 2024 and Snipes returned to reprise the character in2024’s record-breakingDeadpool & Wolverine, 20 years since his last appearance inBlade: Trinity. With these developments, Bethesda and Arkane may want to showcase some news or gameplay onMarvel’s Bladerelatively soon to maintain Blade’s newfound popularity.
Arkane is best known for developing first-person games, so it’s likelyMarvel’s Bladewill be first-person as well. However,Marvel’s Bladecould feature similar stylish sword gameplay asMarvel Rivals’ interpretation of the character on top of more direct vampiric abilities akin to the mana-based abilities seen in theDishonoredseries. Ifdevelopment onMarvel’s Bladedid 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.Dishonoredbegan development as early as 2009, so there is precedent for Arkane to release a standout game within a three-year timeframe.
