Eidos Montreal Founder Believes Square Enix Sold Western Studios To Prepare For Sony Buyout
In May the industry was stunned to learn that Square Enix had sold off three of its western development studios – Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal – to Sweden's Embracer Group. What was surprising, too, was the fact it let go of all that talent and intellectual property – Legacy of Kain, Thief, Deus Ex, and the iconic Tomb Raider – for what seemed a paltry price of just $300 million.
But in an in-depth interview with Games Industry, the founder of Eidos Montreal Stephane D'Astous hints at why Square Enix wanted to sell off these studios for a seeming pittance. It appears it has something to do with Sony's longterm plans.
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"If I read between the lines, Square Enix Japan was not as committed as we hoped initially," D'Astous told Games Industry, commenting on the Japanese company's relationship with its western studios, and describing the funding needed for such series as Tomb Raider and Marvel's Avengers.
"And there are rumours, obviously, that with all these activities of mergers and acquisitions, that Sony would really like to have Square Enix within their wheelhouse. I heard rumours that Sony said they're really interested in Square Enix Tokyo, but not the rest. So, I think [Square Enix CEO Yosuke] Matsuda-san put it like a garage sale".
While these are "rumours", D'Astous does suggest this could be why the three studios, which are known for developing triple-A titles, were let go for $300 million. For comparison's sake, Embracer acquired Gearbox in a deal worth $1.3 billion. The Eidos Montreal founder says while Gearbox and Eidos have around the same amount of staff (about a 1,000), Eidos has "five times the
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