Embracer Group, the company that gained notoriety for bulk-purchasing a boutique basket of game developer studios that includes the Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, announced that it has cancelled the unannounced Deus Ex title the latter studio was working on. In addition, it is also laying off 97 game developers and support staff from the studio.
Eidos made the announcement of its layoffs on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the news was broken by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
“For the last 17 years, our teams and Eidos have worked on some of the most beloved brands in the industry, combining deep storytelling and innovation into unique games. We have created memorable multi awarded experiences that we are proud of and we know our teams members have put their heart and soul in all of them.
The global economic context, the challenge of our industry and the comprehensive restructuring announced by Embracer have finally impacted our studio. The difficult decision has been made to let go 97 people from development teams, administration, and support services.”
— Eidos-Montréal (@EidosMontreal) January 29, 2024
Embracer began its studio procuring spree back in 2021, bringing the likes of Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics under its wings. In November 2022, it was announced that a new Deus Ex title was in the works. Two years into the making, that game will no longer be seeing the light.
Like many others, Embracer is the latest in a long line of tech companies and developers that have been laying off folks and shrinking their workforce, which is seemingly a by-product of the pandemic boom. However, it is of no help to the company that the company also lost out on a US$2 billion (~RM9.46 billion) deal with the Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group. Ever since then, the company has also shut down Timesplitter studio Free Radical Design, Volition who developed Saints Row, and is now looking to sell Gearbox Software, the studio and developer behind the critically acclaimed Borderlands franchise.
(Source: The Verge, Bloomberg)
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