in

Blade’s game engine got revealed, and it isn’t Unreal Engine 5

blade unreal engine

A member of Arkane Studios revealed what game engine Marvel’s Blade will run on, and it isn’t going to be Unreal Engine 5

Marvel’s Blade was one of the biggest surprises at The Game Awards. Rumors of the game were already swirling, but no concrete details materialized until the official reveal. While many expected Insomniac to take a crack at the vampire slayer’s story, the adaptation wound up in Arkane Lyon’s hands instead.

Initial reactions to Arkane getting the job were initially mixed, but much of the backlash was due to the misconception that Arkane Lyon developed Redfall. Arkane Austin, a newer branch, is the actual studio behind the critically panned zombie shooter. The development of Marvel’s Blade seems to be rolling, and several job openings have revealed details about the development progress of Marvel’s Blade.

Will Marvel’s Blade be on the Unreal Engine 5?

Marvel’s Blade will not be on the Unreal Engine 5. Instead, Marvel’s Blade will be running on Arkane’s Void Engine, according to a job listing.

Many next-gen games have been jumping to Unreal Engine 5 thanks to its powerful tools and improved capabilities with current-gen gaming consoles. That said, Arkane Lyon opted to stick to what it knows; its proprietary Void Engine.

The Void Engine was used for Arkane Lyon’s Dishonored and Deathloop. This makes it easy to speculate that Marvel’s Blade will have a similar style to those titles. Mixing the gunplay of Deathloop and the melee combat of Dishonored could fit the Daywalker perfectly. Fans of Arkane Lyon’s games are likely relieved that the studio’s unique style will be present in Blade’s mechanics and visual style.

Will Marvel’s Blade be on Xbox One?

It is unknown whether Marvel’s Blade will be released on Xbox One.

Arkane Studios‘ choice to opt for a comparatively old engine means that Blade being ported to older platforms is possible. Dishonored 2, which runs on the same engine, was on the Xbox One during its release. However, Deathloop is only available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with the game only available on Xbox One through cloud gaming.

The previous generation of consoles is slowly but surely being phased out. Though 2023 saw major releases on the PS4 and Xbox One with Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, Diablo 4, and Hogwarts Legacy, the consoles don’t look to be receiving that level of support in 2024. Although ports are still possible for many games, studios are now channeling more energy towards the current console generation instead. Marvel’s Blade may be joining those ranks upon release. 

Written by Gab Hernandez X Twitter Logo

Gab Hernandez has a particular love for video games that give players control over the narrative direction, such as Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Disco Elysium. Gab spends just as much time playing games as they do gushing about them online to anyone who will listen. Their work has also been seen on TheGamer, Gfinity, and Wargamer, and you can follow them on Twitter / X at @HardlyWorkinGab.

xianyun and gaming genshin impact

Genshin Impact 4.4, Xianyun, and Gaming release dates leaked

wolverine playable character

Insomniac leak reveals other playable X-Men, villains in Wolverine