Following the announcement yesterday regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Zenimax Media and Bethesda – which has naturally shaken the gaming community – a lot of people are now wondering what new and exclusive titles will make its way to the Xbox in the years to come.
Of course, many are expecting that The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield would be released exclusively for the Xbox Series X. However, it’s definitely worth considering what other new IPs could be created on the platform with the help of this deal.
That being said, it appears that a Bethesda studio could possibly be working on one of these new IPs. This assumption was made possible by the fact that Arkane Studios recently posted some job listings for an unknown AAA project.
This information was reported by MauroNL on Twitter, saying that the listings appear to imply that the unannounced project will have an online component, as well as allegedly having live-service elements too.
Looking at the Arkane Studios Lyon job openings it looks like they are starting to hire for their next project after Deathloop. 2 of the 3 openings available in Lyon mention "Arkane studios Lyon is seeking talented Engine Programmers to join us for a new unannounced project." 1/5
— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) September 21, 2020
The Server Engine listing also heavily imply online components: "Extensive experience developing online games is required", "Experience in a “Live” environment (ongoing support of a product after launch)", "At least one AAA title shipped as a contributing online engineer" 4/5
— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) September 21, 2020
According to the aforementioned Twitter user, two out of the three job openings at Arkane Lyons state that they are “seeking talented Engine Programmers to join us for a new unannounced project.”
It also appears that whatever this new project is, it might be a game that potentially features a change in engine from Arkane Studio’s previously-released games. The possibility for this assumption is high, given the fact that they’re looking to hire a lead tech animator who has experience using Unreal Engine 4.
As MauroNL stated, Arkane used idTech and Source Engine hybrids in its previous games, so an engine switch could be on the table.
The most interesting part of this set of tweets, however, is left until last. MauroNL goes on to say that Arkane’s server engine listing requires the applicant to have “expertise with network and online features.”
The job description seems to imply that whatever game the studio is currently working on, it appears to be more multiplayer-focused than any other game in Arkane’s current portfolio so far.
Not only that, but the listing goes on to say that the applicant should have “experience in a ‘Live’ environment (ongoing support of a product after launch).” This could possibly mean that the mystery game will follow the path of popular games such as Destiny, Anthem, or Marvel’s Avengers.
Without a doubt, it’s hard to assume too much at the moment given the fact that the information we have right now is hardly even the bare minimum. However, basing on the details that we do know, it definitely looks like Arkane Studios is planning to work on a game that is more online-focused.
If our speculations are correct, this would definitely be a welcome change for the studio, considering the company’s previous titles.
Online mechanics are something that Arkane Studios has been dabbling in recently, though. This can be seen in its upcoming stealth-action game called Deathloop, which is a game that allows online opponents to raid your game in order to prevent you from assassinating your designated target.
Speaking of Deathloop, it will continue to be released to the PlayStation 5 and PC next year, as Microsoft will be respecting Sony and Bethesda’s exclusivity deal.
