Eidos-Montréal

Eidos-Montréal is a Canadian video game developer based in Montreal. The studio was founded by Eidos Interactive in 2007 and is part of Square Enix Europe.

Eidos-Montréal
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded26 November 2007 (2007-11-26)
FounderStéphane D'Astous
Headquarters
Montreal
,
Canada
Key people
Products
Number of employees
500 (2018)
ParentSquare Enix Europe
(pending sale to Embracer Group)
Subsidiaries
  • Eidos-Shanghai
  • Eidos-Sherbrooke
Websiteeidosmontreal.com

History

Eidos Interactive announced plans to open a Montreal-based subsidiary studio in February 2007.[1] Eidos-Montréal formally opened with general manager Stéphane D'Astous on 26 November 2007.[2] According to D'Astous, unlike other video game development studios, Eidos-Montréal's development cycle as characterized by smaller teams (totalling to 350) working over a longer period.[3]

The same year as its founding, the studio announced its first project: the third installment of the Deus Ex series, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which was released in 2011.[4] In 2009, the studio announced its second project, the fourth installment of the Thief series.[5] On 4 March 2014, Square Enix announced that 27 employees were laid off from Eidos-Montréal.[6] Stéphane D'Astous resigned from Eidos Montréal on 19 July 2013, citing irreconcilable differences with parent company Square Enix.[7]

On January 26, 2017, Eidos-Montréal announced a partnership with Marvel Entertainment to create multiple video games based on the Avengers franchise.[8] As of May 2018, the studio has over 500 employees.[9] In April 2018, YouTuber George Weidman (Super Bunnyhop) reported on a cancelled video game codenamed "Fantasy Project W". In an interview with PCGamesN, studio head David Anfossi said he couldn't comment, but found the video "very well done" and "very funny to watch". He explained that, within the video game industry, projects are often started but eventually cancelled.[10] In 2019, Eidos-Shanghai became part of Eidos-Montréal.[11]

In June 2020, Square Enix announced a new research and development studio led by Julien Bouvrais, Eidos-Sherbrooke. It was envisioned to take advantage of the nearby Université de Sherbrooke and Bishop's University and bring in new computing technology from these schools into their games. Eidos-Sherbrooke will initially operate remotely, with plans move to a permanent location in southern Quebec in 2021 and to grow from initially 20 staff to 100.[12] On June 13, 2021, during their panel for E3 2021, it was announced that the company would be developing a game based on Guardians of the Galaxy.[13]

In May 2022, an agreement to acquire was reached with Embracer Group to purchase the studio.[14]

Games developed
Year Title Platform(s) Notes
2011 Deus Ex: Human Revolution Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360
2014 Thief Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
2016 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2017 Deus Ex: Breach Microsoft Windows
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – VR Experience
2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia
2021 Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

References
  1. Carless, Simon (15 February 2007). "Eidos Sets Up Development Arm In Montreal". Gamasutra. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  2. French, Michael (26 November 2007). "Eidos Montreal officially opens". Develop. NewBay Media. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  3. Dobson, Jason (19 February 2007). "Q&A: Stephane D'Astous On Eidos Montreal's Next-Gen Plans". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  4. Develop (30 November 2007). "Q&A: Stephane D'Astous, Eidos Montreal". Develop. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  5. Crecente, Brian (11 May 2009). "Thief 4: It's Official". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  6. Schreier, Jason (4 March 2014). "Big Layoffs At Thief Developer Eidos Montreal". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  7. Ray Corriea, Alexa (23 July 2013). "Eidos Montreal GM resigns, cites 'lack of courage' at Square Enix". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  8. Frank, Allegra (26 January 2017). "Square Enix teams up with Marvel for The Avengers project". Polygon. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  9. Dring, Christopher (11 May 2018). "Square Enix teams up with Marvel for The Avengers project". Gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  10. Capel, Chris J. "Eidos Montreal head responds to Final Fantasy Project W rumours". PCGamesN. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  11. Eidos-Montréal 15th Anniversary, retrieved 11 April 2022
  12. Dealessandri, Marie (16 June 2020). "Square Enix announces new Eidos-Sherbrooke studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  13. "Save the Universe (Probably) with 'Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy'". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  14. "Square Enix Selling Tomb Raider, Deus Ex & Thief Studios (And The Games As Well)". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
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