It has been revealed that Embracer Group is shutting down Studio Onoma, the developer formerly known as Square Enix Montreal, just three weeks after its rebrand. Earlier this month, the developer known for titles such as Hitman Go and the upcoming Avatar Generations changed its name to Studio Onoma after Embracer's acquisition, but the publisher is already shutting its doors.
This is according to a report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who reveals that some of the developer's staff are being transferred to Eidos Montreal instead, another developer Embracer recently acquired from Square Enix. Schreier speculates that the studio's closure is part of a wider effort by Embracer to cut down on costs, as a Stranger Things-inspired "kids on bikes" project by Eidos Montreal has allegedly been canceled while another unannounced project has been significantly reduced in scope.
He also claims that Eidos Montreal has entered into "co-dev partnerships" with Xbox on games like Fable, while he also says the studio is currently working on a new Deus Ex that is apparently in the "very very early" stages. It's highly likely that the developers transferred over from Studio Onoma will be distributed amongst these projects to provide additional support.
Eidos Montreal's involvement in Xbox titles isn't too surprising, especially when you consider that Crystal Dynamics – yet another studio recently acquired by Embracer – is helping out with the Perfect Dark reboot that is currently in development at The Initiative. It was also recently suggested the developer has plans to bring back Legacy of Kain in some form, as Crystal Dynamics recently asked fans whether they'd like a reboot, remake, or a new game.
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