In a short but sweet announcement, Eidos Montreal has stated that is “now the owner of the games it developed, like the Deus Ex and Thief games.” The Canadian developer has also officially announced that it has “joined the Embracer Group,” adding further confirmation that the deal between the two has completed, as reported by our sister site PlayStationLifestyle. In May, the Sweden-based holding company acquired multiple studios like Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix Montreal. Included in the deal are IPs like Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain, both of which Crystal Dynamics recently announced it now owns as well.
What will be Eidos Montreal’s next game?
The statement on the developer’s website is dry and direct, mentioning the updated Terms of Service and Privacy Notice in a no-frills legal sense. But it does specifically mention both Deus Ex and Thief, in that order. Insider Jeff Grubb indicated that Eidos Montreal wanted to “get right back into [Deux Ex].” However, journalist Jason Schreier in a Resetera thread discussing Grubb’s comments believes that the prospect of a new Deus Ex game should be tempered, saying that if it’s happening, “it won’t be for a very, very long time.”
The other notable works from Eidos Montreal are Shadow of the Tomb Raider, though as mentioned Crystal Dynamics now controls the Tomb Raider IP, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. While critically successful and on the list for multiple GotY awards from various outlets, the Marvel game “undershot” sales expectation according to Square Enix’s financial results in February this year. Given the cost of obtaining the Marvel license, it’s unlikely that Eidos Montreal is working on a sequel to it.
So then, what is the developer working on? Scheier indicates that “the game furthest in development at Eidos Montreal right now is a new IP.” What this new IP is unclear, but hopefully it will create a solid framework for possible Deus Ex and Thief games in the future.
In other news, the release date for the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Nintendo Switch OLED will be available before the games are out, and AGDQ 2023 has decided to make the event online-only to avoid Florida’s COVID and anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
