Embracer Group cancels new Deus Ex game in development at Eidos-Montreal and lays off 97 employees

Embracer Group has canceled a new Deus Ex game in development at Eidos-Montreal, according to a new game?embedded-checkout=true”>Bloomberg report. Along with the cancellation, Eidos-Montreal, which is the studio behind Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from 2021 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, revealed that it was laying off 97 employees.

Bloomberg reports that Eidos-Montreal has been working on this unannounced new Deus Ex game for two years, and that it was expected to enter production later this year, according to sources close to the studio. It appears the studio’s canceled game and subsequent layoffs are another casualty of Embracer, which purged the studios after a planned $2 billion deal with Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group fell through , Last year.

Eidos-Montreal has not addressed the issue of the canceled Deus Ex game, and is unlikely to do so. However, the studio released the following statement today regarding the 97 people who were laid off there.

“Over the past 17 years, our teams at Eidos have worked on some of the industry’s most beloved brands, combining deep storytelling and innovation into unique games. We’ve created memorable, multi-award-winning experiences that we’re proud of and we know our team members have put their heart and soul into each one.

“The global economic context, the challenges in our industry and the global restructuring announced by Embracer ultimately had an impact on our studio. The difficult decision was made to lay off 97 people from the development teams, administration and services. support.

“We are working to support all affected staff through this transition. These very talented, very experienced people are entering the workforce, and we want them to find their next projects and we are helping them do that.

“As we navigate these challenging times, the well-being of our team is our priority and our continued commitment to creating games that players can enjoy in the near future.

“For our players…it’s often not just the games but also the game creators that we celebrate and admire. Our commitment is always to create the best games for our incredible fans and even with this restructuring change, we continue to fight. on to deliver these great experiences that we can share together. Thank you for your continued support and best wishes.

These job cuts come on top of a series of other discouraging layoffs in 2024, which total more than 5,500 in the first 29 days of the year alone. Destroy All Humans remake developer Black Forest Games reportedly laid off 50 employees last week, and Microsoft announced last week that it was also laying off 1,900 employees across its Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax teams. Outriders studio People Can Fly laid off more than 30 employees last week and League of Legends company Riot Games laid off 530 employees.

We recently learned that CI Games, publisher of Lords of the Fallen, is laying off 10% of its staff, that Unity will lay off 1,800 people by the end of March, and that Twitch has laid off 500 employees.

We also learned that Discord laid off 170 employees, that layoffs took place at PTW, a support studio that has worked with companies like Blizzard and Capcom, and that SteamWorld Build company Thunderful Group laid off around 100 people. . Dead by Daylight developer Behavior Interactive also reportedly laid off 45 people.

Last year, more than 10,000 people working in the video game industry or adjacent industries were laid off.

In January of last year, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees as part of its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, completed in October.

Striking Distance Studios, the team behind 2022’s The Callisto Protocol, laid off more than 30 employees in August 2023. The same month, BioWare, developer of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, laid off 50 employees, including longtime veterans of the studio. The following month, in September, Ascendant Studios, developer of Immortals of Aveum, laid off approximately 45% of its staff, and Fortnite developer Epic Games laid off 830 employees.

In October last year, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog laid off at least 25 employees, and Telltale Games was also laid off, although the actual number of employees affected has not yet been revealed. Dreams developer Media Molecule laid off 20 employees in late October.

In November, Amazon Games laid off 180 staff members, Ubisoft laid off more than 100 employees, Bungie laid off around 100 developers, and 505 Games parent company Digital Bros laid off 30% of its staff.

In December, Embracer Group closed its reformed TimeSplitters studio, Free Radical Design, and earlier in the year, Embracer closed Saints Row developer Volition Games, a studio with over 30 years of development history. Weeks before the winter break, Hasbro, owner of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, laid off 1,100 employees.

The video game industry will surely feel the effects of these horrific layoffs for years to come. The hearts of the game Informer staff are with everyone who has been affected by layoffs or closures.

[Source: game?embedded-checkout=true”>Bloomberg]