According toreporting by Bloomberg, Embracer Group islaying off 97of the staff at Eidos Montreal and has canceled an unannounced title in theDeus Exseries. This is part of an ongoing series of job losses as Embracer contracts after a period of rapid expansion.
The Embracer Group acquired Eidos Montreal as part of a deal withSquare Enix in 2022, which saw the latter company divest from its North American studios. This deal also included Square Enix Montreal and Crystal Dynamics, as well as aselection of propertiesrelated to those studios, including games likeThief, Tomb Raider, andDeus Ex.
Many have been anticipating a new game in the celebratedDeus Exseries since the release ofDeus Ex: Mankind Dividedback in 2016. Following the lukewarm reception to that game, Square Enix put theseries on ice. The Embracer purchase brought some hope to having the series revived once again, but with this cancellation, it seems unlikely.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, Eidos Montreal had been working on the new entry ofDeus Exfor two years, and it was “slated to enter production later this year.” The company will now “instead focus on an original franchise.”
Arelease by Eidos Montrealconfirms the layoffs and clarifies that 97 positions were eliminated, it’s a continuation of job losses related to Embracer Group. The losses have included the closure ofTimesplittersdeveloperFree RadicalandSaints Row’sVolition.
It can be difficult to keep up with the volume of cuts made by Embracer, as it seems that a new round happens on anear-weekly basis. Embracer group is hardly the only company cutting staff, however, as massive job losses have been happening across the industry, with Microsoft laying off1,900 staff membersjust a few days ago.
We’re not even out of January yet, and the industry hasseen nearly 6000people lose their jobs. It’s shaping up to be another rough year.
