The co-creators of Dishonored have revealed that Bethesda commissioned them to create prototypes for a Thief 4 and a Blade Runner adaptation, two deals that never materialized. After the failure of these negotiations, Bethesda gave them the freedom to develop their own idea, giving rise to Dishonored, a cult title. Today, Arkane Lyon is working on Marvel's Blade, closing a curious circle.
The Graphics Engine and Gameplay That Defined a Genre 🎮
For Dishonored, Arkane used Unreal Engine 3, adapting it to a hand-painted artistic style that masked technical limitations. The stealth and supernatural powers system was designed with reactive physics and open navigation routes, allowing multiple approaches. The Thief 4 and Blade Runner prototypes would have shared these foundations, but creative differences with the publishers prevented their development. Freedom of movement and enemy AI were priorities from the start.
From Bounty Hunters to Bat Hunters 🦇
So Arkane went from being unable to make a Blade Runner game to making, decades later, a Blade game, the other famous vampire hunter. Good thing Bethesda said no, because otherwise, today we would have Corvo hunting replicants instead of eliminating guards with rats. Fate is fickle: first they couldn't handle Blade Runner, and now they face a vampire hunter with sunglasses.