Major behind-the-scenes shake-ups are underway at several Xbox subsidiaries, but one acclaimed Xbox studio has seemingly gotten a new leader from another acclaimed Xbox studio.
Arkane Lyon (of Dishonored, Deathloop, and Marvel's Blade fame) now seems to be under the leadership of Jerk Gustafsson, the former co-founder and studio head of MachineGames.
As spotted by Timur222 and Windows Central, MachineGames' ex-studio director appears to have been promoted to the head of Arkane Studios, replacing outgoing company president Leonard Bendel. A legal notice about the leadership shift was posted to French enterprise site Pappers only a few days ago - June 30, to be exact.
Of course, MachineGames is the beloved developer behind the modern Wolfenstein reboots and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The studio's next game is a mystery for now, though higher ups have teased that an ending to its Wolfenstein trilogy would come at some point eventually.
On the other hand, Arkane has been hammering away at Marvel's Blade, the superhero game we haven't seen much of since its brief 2023 reveal trailer.
The Verge recently reported the game was at risk of cancelation and Arkane was at risk of outright shutting down amid Xbox's corporate "reset" of the business. A sudden change in leadership is perhaps a sign of life for the company - why restructure a team that's not going to be around in a few days, after all? Xbox's plans are said to go public next week, so we'll see how it all shakes out. Multiple Xbox-owned studios are reportedly negotiating to avoid closure, however.
