Eidos Montreal

Eidos Montreal is a developer and publisher.

Eidos Montreal Webpage, Facebook

A Canadian development studio based in Montreal, owned by Square Enix from 2009 to 2022, and currently owned by the Swedish Embracer Group. The studio is known for creating games for PC, consoles and mobile devices, and has gained worldwide fame thanks to productions such as the third and fourth installments of the Deus Ex series, the fourth installment of the Thief series and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

History of Eidos Montreal

Eidos Montreal was founded by Eidos Interactive in 2007 and headed by Stéphane D'Astous. Shortly thereafter, the studio announced that they were working on the third installment of the Deus Ex series, called Human Revolution. However, before the production was released, Eidos Interactive was bought by Square Enix in 2009 – thus the studio found itself under the wing of the Japanese publisher.

Human Revolution

This did not affect the development of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which was released in 2011 on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360; it later also appeared on the Nintendo Wii U console. The game was a commercial and artistic success, so the sequel seemed only a matter of time.

Legendary thief

Before that, however, we got a reboot of the Tomb Raider series in 2013, with Eidos Montreal developing the multiplayer mode. That same year, D'Astous left the company. 2014 brought the release of the fourth installment of the Thief series, released on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In 2015, Lara Croft's sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, was released, with the Montreal team assisting in its development.

Lara Croft's third adventure

Fans of the series had to wait five years for a new Deus Ex after the release of Human Revolution. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was released in 2016; the title received lower reviews than its predecessor and sold less copies, leaving the future of the franchise in doubt.

The studio itself, however, was doing well – in January 2017, it announced it was beginning work on video games based on the Marvel's Avengers license, and in 2018, the next installment in the Tomb Raider series, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, was released. The changes introduced by the developers, who took over from Crystal Dynamics, were appreciated by both gamers and reviewers.

In June 2020, Square Enix and Eidos Montreal established a new research and development studio, Eidos-Sherbrooke. The team in Quebec was to be responsible for developing and implementing new technologies. E3 2021 brought the announcement of the company's new project: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, a third-person action-adventure game about Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. The game was slated for release on PC and consoles in October 2021.

Meanwhile, the studio announced it was switching to a four-day workweek. This change, driven by the desire to increase developer creativity and prevent burnout, was intended to have no impact on employee salaries. Furthermore, the team could expect to maintain eight-hour workdays. Upon hearing this, Jason Schreier, a renowned industry journalist who often shares behind-the-scenes information with gamers, reported that Eidos Montreal was the first AAA studio to take this step.

Joining the Embracer Group

In May 2022, it was announced that Eidos Montreal, along with studios Square Enix Montreal and Crystal Dynamics change ownership from Square Enix to Embracer Group. The $300 million transaction also gave the Swedish giant control over a number of franchises previously held by the Japanese studios, including the Deus Ex series.

Although Mary DeMarle, the writer of the aforementioned series, decided to move to BioWare in July 2022, many indications suggested that a bright future awaited the studio. Both remakes of older titles and entirely new projects began to loom on the horizon. In November 2022, unofficial reports surfaced suggesting Eidos Montreal would not only be working on a new Deus Ex but also assisting with the next game in the Fable series. Furthermore, in September 2022, Eidos Montreal took control of the Deus Ex and Thief franchises.

Unfortunately, the studio's future was soon to become uncertain. In late January 2024, it was announced that 97 developers at Eidos Montreal had lost their jobs as a result of a large-scale restructuring at Embracer Group. Other reasons cited for this state of affairs included the "global economic climate" and the "challenges" facing the video game industry.

What's worse, as reported by the famous industry journalist Jason Schreier, citing his anonymous sources, Eidos Montreal had been preparing to create the next installment of the Deus Ex series, but the project was canceled before it left the pre-production phase.

The wave of layoffs in January 2024 wasn't the last. Another round of layoffs took place in late March 2025, when another 75 people at Eidos Montreal lost their jobs.