Eidos Montreal
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Embracer is buying Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and three Square Enix game studios
Swedish game company Embracer Group has just made a blockbuster deal to acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal.
'Guardians of the Galaxy' is already better than the 'Avengers' game
An emphasis on narrative and relationships makes the new Marvel game work.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is more 'Deus Ex' than 'Avengers'
The next Square Enix Marvel game, Guardians of the Galaxy, has just been announced for an October 26th release. This time Eidos-Montréal is taking the reins and leading the partnership in a very different direction.
'Guardians of the Galaxy' hits Xbox, PlayStation and PC on October 26th
It's a narrative, third-person, action-adventure title from the Deus Ex folks.
Square Enix will show off 'Babylon's Fall' from PlatinumGames during E3
Square Enix's E3 presentation on June 13th will include a fresh look at Babylon's Fall.
The Marvel's Avengers beta hits PS4 first on August 7th
Those who pre-ordered on Xbox and PC will get access a week later.
'Marvel's Avengers' will pit the superheroes against MODOK
The War Table stream included more gameplay and details about progression and co-op.
Square Enix will finally show its 'Avengers' game on June 10th
It's been a long two and a half years since Square Enix and Marvel teased plans for an Avengers game, but they're nearly ready to show the fruits of their labor. They now plan to unveil Marvel's Avengers at Square Enix's E3 event, which starts June 10th at 9PM Eastern. There's little else to show right now, but this confirmed that Crystal Dynamics (of Tomb Raider fame) and Eidos Montreal (modern Deus Ex games) are still attached to the superhero title.
'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided' betrayed by leaked screenshots (update)
The next game in Square Enix's futuristic action franchise, Deus Ex, is called Mankind Divided, and it's in development for PC, Xbox One and PS4. A slew of photos and information today found its way to a Russian site and, of course, NeoGAF, depicting new Deus Ex environments and series star Adam Jensen. Game Informer revealed Mankind Divided as its May cover story shortly after the leak. This week, Square Enix has been teasing a new game on Twitch and other social media platforms using the moniker "Can't Kill Progress," and it had planned to reveal the new game on April 9th. Update: The latest tweet invites us to tune in tomorrow at noon (ET) to see "the future of Deus Ex."
Deus Ex Universe lights up with next-gen 'Dawn' engine
Deus Ex Universe is not an MMO, despite the suspiciously grand name, Eidos Montreal says in a blog post. The studio announced Deus Ex Universe last year and some fans equated "Universe" with a potential MMO – but in reality, Deus Ex's Universe is more spiritual than mechanical. "Some of you have had concerns that 'Universe' meant 'MMO.' Rest assured, it does not," Eidos Montreal says. "Deus Ex Universe is the name we are giving to the fictional world and the rich lore we are creating for it, which will of course include core games, as well as any other projects that will help bring the world of Deus Ex to life. We won't go into too much detail for now, but what we envision is for our projects to have meaningful ties to one another, in order for them to strengthen and deepen your experience within this Universe." Eidos Montreal also outlines its new PC and next-gen console engine, the Dawn Engine. The Dawn Engine is based on a "heavily modified version" of IO Interactive's Glacier 2 engine, and Eidos is showcasing it with the in-engine screenshot above. "In the past, we've relied on existing engines for our games," Eidos Montreal writes. "But in the end, we found that our creative vision was somehow limited. So we decided it was time for us to invest in creating an engine tailored for our needs."
Report: Thief movie under way from Vertigo, Prime
A Thief film is in development from Vertigo and Prime Universe, Hollywood news site Tracking Board reports. Adrian Askarieh and Roy Lee, two of the people behind film adaptations of Deus Ex and Minecraft, are tagged to produce. There's no extra juice to the report, but we can imagine what a Thief movie would look like: Garrett, the brooding and highly trained medieval burglar, is on a mission to steal an expensive trinket from a castle overlooking a seedy village. After an hour of establishing his sad backstory, Garrett sneaks past the guards, kills a few (silently), and makes it to the grand ballroom that houses the shiny object. He approaches it, reaches out a steady hand, and then – a voice interrupts him. He turns, only to be immediately blinded by the regal beauty of the queen. His heart is forever stolen. Tagline: Who's the real thief? What. A. Twist. (Please, Askarieh and Lee, don't do anything like that. Not that you would, but ... please.) [Image: Square Enix]
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut sneaks onto Mac
A Mac version of the Deus Ex: Human Revolution "Director's Cut" is available now from developer Feral Interactive. The version is available exclusively through Steam. DX:HR - Director's Cut overhauls the original RPG's boss battles, tweaks enemy AI and "upgrades" the game's textures, fog, shadows and lighting. Black and gold environments never looked so pristine! The Director's Cut also includes The Missing Link and Tong's Rescue Mission DLC, as well as the Tactical Enhancement pack. All content has "all been seamlessly integrated into the narrative flow of the main game." Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut is $19.99 on Steam, though as a Steam Play title the version is available to all whom already own the PC version of the game. The Mac version requires a 2.0Ghz Intel Mac with at least 4.0GB RAM, 512MB or better graphics card and Mac OS 10.8.5 or later. Deus Ex: Human Revolution supports the ATI 4850 series or better, Intel HD4000 series or better, and NVIDIA GT130, NVIDIA 9600 or NVIDIA 600 series or better. [Image: Square Enix]
Square Enix files 'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided' trademark in Europe
Square Enix has filed a trademark for something called "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" at the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market - Europe's trademark and design registry. The application, which encompasses "computer game software," "printed matter" and "entertainment services" is currently under review. So, just what is Makind Divided? It's impossible to say, but we have some hints. Eidos Montreal head David Anfossi announced in October of last year that Square Enix and Eidos would be building what he referred to as "Deus Ex: Universe." Deus Ex: Universe was said to expand beyond games into media such as books and mobile games, so it's possible that Mankind Divided will fall into one of those categories. However, not all hope is lost for those holding out for the sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. When discussing Universe, Anfossi shared the concept art you see at the top of this article, and described "trans-humanism segregation" as a major theme of the Deus Ex game which is currently in development for PC, Xbox One and PS4. Humans? Segregated? Might we dare say these humans - aka: mankind - are downright divided? Let the conspiracies begin. [Image: Square Enix]
Deus Ex: The Fall sneaks onto Steam a week early
Deus Ex: The Fall made the jump from mobiles to PC today, and you can pick it up on Steam right now for $10 in North America, or £8/10 euros in Europe. The PC port was originally due on March 25, but Square Enix stealthily brought the release date forward by a week. The Fall follows on from The Icarus Effect, a prequel novel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and it features a different protagonist in former SAS mercenary Ben Saxon. The hero may be new but the game is a familiar mix of stealth, action, and gold-tinted cybernetics. In terms of what's not familiar on PC, the port professes AI adjustments, revisions to the tutorial, the option to toggle cover styles, and controller support. Also, microtransactions have been removed from the game completely, with the economy tweaked as a result. Finally, if you're tempted by the itch for more Deus Ex, you might like to know that if you buy The Fall today, you get a copy of Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition for free. [Image: Square Enix]
Thief, Deus Ex-branded apparel, merch in Eidos Montreal online store
Gaming-themed apparel can be great when done well, but a healthy love for the involved series certainly helps, too. If you're a fan of Thief or feel inspired by Adam Jensen's fashion sense, Eidos Montreal launched an online shop this week full of t-shirts and other apparel. The selection of shirts is joined by a Crippled Burrick cap and pilsner glass, recalling the pub from the original Thief. Initiation hoodies and iPhone cases are available if you're keen on joining The Watch. There's also a Deus Ex-themed coat, lined with the golden triangle design prevalent in Deus Ex: Human Revolution's menus. If you need something to decorate the walls, pre-sales have also begun for two lithographs that recall the Thief and Deus Ex universes. The earliest estimated shipping date for either one is February 26, but since they're from a batch of 250 limited-edition prints, you'll want to place an order sooner rather than later if you're interested. [Image: Eidos Montreal]
Thief developer Eidos Montreal lays off 27 employees
Thief developer Eidos Montreal laid off 27 employees today, the developer confirmed. The studio just launched its reboot of the the Thief series in late February, and opted to make cuts after turning its attention to future projects. "Yes it is true we've let 27 people go today, unfortunately it's something that every major studio has to do sometimes in order to ensure you have the right set up for current and future projects," Eidos Montreal said in a statement to IGN. "It's never a nice thing to do but we are genuinely trying to offer as much support as much as we can." The developer said it is "trying to re-locate as many people as possible into other roles here or at our other studios" in order to soften the blow to its employees. Additionally, it is looking to arrange a career day with other studios on Montreal. "We're very thankful for all their hard work and we sincerely wish them well," the developer added. Whether initial commercial reception for the developer's latest game has anything to do with its decision to carry on with fewer employees is unclear. We can say that while reviews for Thief varied considerably, we found the game to be worthy of four stars in our review. [Image: Eidos Montreal]
Thief yoinks top spot in this week's UK Charts
It's no daylight robbery: Thief is a deserving UK chart leader, especially since we're knee deep in the Q1 downpour of new releases. The Eidos Montreal game fended off plenty of competition to record the second highest sales for a No.1 game this year, and 75 percent of those were on PS4 and Xbox One. The new releases that fell short of the crown jewels include Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare in 4th, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 in 10th, and placing just outside the top ten is PS3 HD-em-up Tales of Symphonia: Chronicles in 13th. Konami may've been hoping to see the second Lords of Shadow place higher, but it's still the second biggest debut for the franchise (in Chart Track history), only topped by the first game.
Joystiq Streams: Running into walls in Thief on PS4 [UPDATE: It's over!]
The Thief series was legendary to console-only players at the beginning of the century. Looking Glass Studios' sneaky adventures were, like Half-Life and Deus Ex, harbingers of a complex and subtle gaming world that was only available on PCs. Thief's mystique has endured in the decade since the series went silent, and even now its blend of Victorian adventure and fear is seductive from the outside. That's why Joystiq Streams is diving into Thief on PlayStation 4 totally blind. Having never played before and with only limited knowledge of what's supposed to be happening, Anthony John Agnello will tackle Thief just as he did Don't Starve and Outlast on PS4. That is to say, fearfully and with extreme hubris. Alexander Sliwinski will be hanging in the chat, feeding your advice, well wishes, and mockery to Anthony as he goes. It's all happening at 4PM EST on the Joystiq Twitch channel. Come and join in the sneakery. [Image: Square-Enix]
Buy Thief at Newegg, get free Domino's (because, pizza)
Pizza is great. Everyone loves pizza, even thieves-for-hire. In fact, a well-known byproduct of being a kleptomaniac is an insatiable craving for carbohydrates. A Thief promotion at Newegg capitalizes on this by granting all who pick up a PC copy with a $10 coupon for Domino's Pizza. Enter the promo code SENTFPO during checkpoint for an additional ten percent off. Thankfully, Newegg has extended some sales love to Thief's other platforms too. Grabbing a copy of Thief on PS4, Xbox One, PS3 or Xbox 360 before March 3 nets a gift card good for $5. Thief, which launched this week, is a game our review said is "best when it sticks to the involving, slow-paced stealth that made its ancestor such a tense affair." Our review adds, "Thief succeeds when it's quiet, fingers reaching out and almost – almost – touching an irresistible spread of glittering prizes." [Image: Eidos Montreal]
PSN Tuesday: Thief, Pac-Man Museum, Lords of Shadow 2
The PlayStation Store updated today with new games across every platform, led by the launches of Thief and Basement Crawl on PS4. Thief joins another new release in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on PS3 this week. PS3 owners can pick up The Batman Bundle, which includes Batman: Arkham Origins and the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns animated film as well as the Tales of Symphonia Chronicles bundle that comprises both Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Rounding out this week's PS3 additions is Magus and Pac-Man Museum, the latter being a $20 pack of games spanning the yellow gobbler's series. Vita owners only get one new game this week: Mahjong 2 World Contest, as well as PSOne Classic Herc's Adventures, also available on PS3 and PSP. Though Vita owners can now download the Crackle app to watch movies and TV shows, the marquee media streaming addition this week is the WWE Network app on PS3 and PS4. [Image: Square Enix]
