Arkane Studios Urges Microsoft to Cut Ties with Israel Amid Gaza Conflict

Arkane Studios — known for titles like Dishonored, Prey, and Deathloop — has urged parent company Microsoft to cut ties with Israel over its role in the ongoing Gaza conflict, citing concerns that the partnership could damage both their "reputation and work."

The call comes through an open letter published online and addressed to the heads of ZeniMax, Microsoft Gaming, and Microsoft’s corporate leadership.

Arkane’s statement aligns with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which has made Microsoft — particularly its gaming division and Xbox Game Pass — a priority target for boycott campaigns.

In the letter, Arkane developers in France express their belief that "Microsoft has no place being an accomplice of a genocide," stressing that as tech workers, they have a responsibility to ensure their tools "are used to make the voices of the oppressed heard, and not facilitate their demise."

They also highlight practical concerns, warning that association with the Israeli military could harm the global audience for Xbox games, ultimately threatening the viability of the business and their jobs.

"In a more direct manner, we think this could very well affect our life directly, by reducing the audience for our games, thus directly compromising the viability of Xbox Games, and, in the long run, our very own jobs."

The letter cited reports from the Associated Press, alleging that Microsoft collaborated with the Israeli military via its Azure cloud services and AI tools, with some systems reportedly assisting in identifying bombing targets. The Guardian also claimed that Israel's military surveillance agency heavily relied on Azure to monitor Palestinians.

Microsoft previously responded to these allegations in a May blog post, claiming internal and external reviews found "no evidence to date" that Azure or AI technologies were used to harm people in Gaza. However, the company admitted it has "no visibility" into how customers operate software on their own systems.

Arkane’s statement also supports the "No Azure for Apartheid" petition, signed by over 2,000 Microsoft employees since May 2024. The petition demands the company "to cut all their ties with the Israeli Army, as well as asking to have a third-party independent audit of our contract, services, and product to make sure they are not involved in any human rights violation, be it in Gaza, or elsewhere."

"Microsoft has a responsibility toward its employees, as we have one toward the company. As stated in the company’s commitment to human rights, and regularly used in the company talk points, “Microsoft is committed to protecting fundamental rights”. But so far, Microsoft has failed both its teams & its customers by being actively complicit of the invasion and war crimes happening in Gaza. If those core values are more then just a talking points to sell more products, it is now more than due time for Microsoft to commit to them."

Arkane Lyon is currently working on a Blade adaptation for Marvel, though updates on the project have been scarce since its late 2023 announcement. The game is described as a "mature, single-player, third-person" experience, which is a shift from Arkane's usual first-person games. It's expected to release in late 2027, with internal projections targeting final approval by November of that year.