Eidos Montreal has confirmed that it has laid off 97 members of total staff which was reported to be around 481 strong in November of 2022.
“For the last 17 years, our teams at Eidos have worked on some of the most beloved brands in the industry, combining deep storytelling and innovation into unique games,” the studio said in an official statement on social media. “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 challenges 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.
“We are working to support all impacted personnel through this transition. These very talented, highly experienced people are entering the employment market, and we want them to find their next projects and are helping to do so.
“As we navigate these difficult times, the well-being of our team is our priority and the continuous commitment to creating games that players will be able to enjoy.”
Shortly before the lay-offs were confirmed, Jason Schrier of Bloomberg posted an article breaking the news that Eidos Montreal would be the newest studio facing lay-offs.
As a result of the layoffs, Schrier also claims that the team’s rumoured new Deus Ex game has also been cancelled after two years of development. I’m sad to say that just a few days ago I talked about a rumoured Deus Ex remake that is supposedly being worked on and during that article mentioned that with Embracer’s current volatility, any Deus Ex game was probably teetering on the edge of destruction. I didn’t realise that my words would end up being accurate so quickly.
All of these closures have been a result of Embracer trying to cut costs and reduce its vast debt that it accrued by expanding rapidly over the last decade, and the last five or six years specifically. What began as a plan to focus on single-A and double-A game development ballooned into Embracer buying up anything and everything, including big triple-A studios and even a comic-book company.
Other notable victims of Embracer’s poor leadership decisions include Volition, New World Interactive, Lost Boys Interactive and Free Radical. It’s estimated that over 1,000 people have now lost their jobs due to Embracer’s restructuring plan.