Eidos Montreal’s founder has described the decline of Sq. Enix’s (opens in new tab) Western studios as a “train-wreck in gradual movement”.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz (opens in new tab), Stephane D’Astous criticised Sq. Enix’s dismissive strategy towards Eidos Montreal (opens in new tab), in addition to different Western studios like Crystal Dynamics, and speculated that its latest sale to Embracer Group was as a result of a purported acquisition of Sq. Enix by Sony.
D’Astous, who based Eidos Montreal in 2007 and departed in 2013, described how he was initially hopeful that Sq. Enix would revitalise Eidos after they acquired the corporate two years after the founding of Montreal:
“I all the time felt that the way in which to promote video games that Eidos used had been so conventional and traditional. That it wasn’t revolutionary. And it was all the time underselling the standard of the video games,” D’Astous stated of the now-defunct writer, whose roster on the time included sequence like Deus Ex, Hitman, and Tomb Raider. “I hoped when Sq. Enix bought Eidos in 2009 that that may change issues.”
However D’Astous’ hopes rapidly turned bitter as Sq. Enix proved to have unrealistic expectations for the video games Montreal and Eidos’ different Western studios made. “Of their annual fiscal stories, Japan all the time added one or two phrases saying ‘We had been disenchanted with sure video games. They did not attain expectations.’ They usually did that strictly for sure video games that had been achieved outdoors of Japan”.
D’Astous additionally believed that Sq. Enix’s pivot from Eidos’ legacy franchises to creating superhero video games (opens in new tab)—together with signing a multi-project cope with Marvel in 2013 – was short-sighted. “Perhaps on the time [the deal was signed] the superhero factor was an enormous factor. It nonetheless is, however there may be some fatigue with superheroes. And particularly in video games—only a few handle to achieve success with superheroes.” He added “Perhaps it was the simple method out. They could have thought that promoting a superhero recreation is simpler than a standard recreation.”
Though D’Astous lays a few of the blame for Sq. Enix’s dealing with of its Western studios the toes of its Japanese executives, he doesn’t imagine they’re solely accountable, stating “a few of the dangerous choices got here from London.” Nonetheless, he does declare that the latest sale of Sq. Enix’s Western studios to Embracer group stemmed from a rumoured acquisition of Sq. Enix Tokyo by Sony.
“If I learn between the strains, Sq. Enix Japan was not as dedicated as we hoped initially. And there are rumours, clearly that with all these actions of mergers and acquisitions, that Sony would like to have Sq. Enix inside their wheelhouse,” he says. “I heard rumours that Sony stated they’re actually eager about Sq. Enix Toyko, however not the remainder.” This, in accordance D’Astous, would clarify why Sq. Enix’s Western studios had been offered to Embracer group (opens in new tab) for a remarkably low worth of $300 million.
It is price emphasising that D’Astous has not been instantly concerned with Eidos Montreal for the very best a part of a decade. Nonetheless, his inner experiences with Sq. Enix definitely appear to trace with the corporate’s common perspective towards its Western Studios in more moderen years. The complete interview can be price a learn for D’Astous’ perception into the event of sure video games, notably 2014’s troubled reboot of Thief (opens in new tab), which D’Astous says “stays one in every of my favorite initiatives.”
