Raphael Colantonio, Arkane founder and former lead at the studio, could be looking to take it off Xbox's hands. Yesterday, Xbox made the announcement we'd all been waiting for, with a lot of studios parting ways with the platform owner. Arkane wasn't on that list, but it's believed conversations are in place to divest the studio in the near future.
As spotted by GamesRadar, underneath a post by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma about the upcoming "reset," Colantonio made a cheeky response asking "how much" for Arkane. "Regarding Arkane... how much? I'm asking for a friend," he said.
<social>https://x.com/rafcolantonio/status/2074142859666551185</social>
While this is a joke on Colantonio's part, it's something that has caught the eye of many fans. Underneath his reply, a lot of people are saying they'd back Colantonio if he wished to buy Arkane, with some even offering to send him money via Venmo. It's highly unlikely a few dollars sent Colantonio's way are going to make a key difference in persuading him to buy Arkane, but if the response has made one thing clear, it's that fans aren't keen on Arkane's future with Xbox.
We've already seen the closure of Prey and Redfall studio Arkane Austin under Xbox, and to see Arkane Lyon go too would've felt like another serious blow. The studio is currently working on Marvel's Blade, but we've seen next to nothing of the game since its initial reveal at The Game Awards in 2024.