After warning of impending sport cancellations and layoffs, Embracer Group is reportedly now following by way of as soon as once more with an extra spherical of cuts. Bloomberg reports that Embracer has elected to cancel an upcoming Deus Ex sport from Eidos Montreal.
The report added {that a} “various workers” are being laid off as a part of the beforehand introduced cost-cutting measures.
Bloomberg stated the unannounced Deus Ex sport was on account of enter manufacturing this yr, however there aren’t any additional particulars out there in regards to the rumored sport. As an alternative, the report stated Eidos will work on an “unique franchise.”
Eidos Montreal confirmed the cuts in a social media publish, saying it’s chopping 97 folks from quite a lot of disciplines. The corporate cited, amongst different issues, the “world financial context,” in addition to common online game trade circumstances, and Embracer’s beforehand introduced restructuring plan.
Embracer acquired the Deus Ex franchise in 2022 from Sq. Enix in a $300 million deal that additionally noticed Embracer get the gaming rights to Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain.
2016’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is the newest entry in the primary sequence. Elias Toufexis, who voiced essential character Adam Jensen, reacted to the report on social media, saying, “I informed you guys it wasn’t taking place.”
If they’d been engaged on a #DeusEx for 2 years, and so they nonetheless hadn’t contacted me, there’s a very good probability it wasn’t a Jensen story anyway.
I’m extra pissed for all of the folks getting laid off. This trade is fucked with these things.— ᴇʟɪᴀꜱ ᴛᴏᴜꜰᴇxɪꜱ 🖖 (@EliasToufexis) January 29, 2024
Embracer introduced plans to cancel video games, lay off employees, and shut studios in June 2023 within the wake of dropping a $2 billion deal on the eleventh hour. Embracer stated it solely had a verbal settlement for this deal, which was later revealed to be from Saudi Arabia. Embracer beforehand took $1 billion from Saudi Arabia and defended that call when folks criticized Saudi Arabia’s place on human rights.
Embracer’s cuts thus far have included the closure of Saints Row studio Volition and the upcoming shutdown of TimeSplitters developer Free Radical. Embracer has additionally reduce jobs at subsidiaries like Crystal Dynamics, Gearbox, and Beamdog, amongst others.
The online game trade layoffs are usually not restricted to Embracer and its studios, as Microsoft simply reduce 1,900 positions from its gaming workforce and League of Legends developer Riot additionally reduce lots of of positions.