Oh Boy: Big Layoffs At Thief Dev Eidos Montreal

So it continues. It's once again preening season in the gaming industry (Start of the year! Financial results! Losses! Fun, fun, fun!), and big studios are tightening their stylishly arrayed goth belts. 2K Czech, EA's Ghost Games, Irrational, Disney Interactive, and Turbine have all taken their licks on the chopping block, and now reports suggest that Thief and Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal is up next. Kotaku sources suggested that more than 20 developers are back out on the mean streets of the city after spending eons working on the mean streets of The City. We got in touch with Square Enix, and they confirmed the unfortunate news.

Square Enix offered RPS the following statement:

"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. It’s never a nice thing to do but we are genuinely trying to offer as much support as much as we can. We’re trying to re-locate as many people as possible into other roles here or at our other studios and we’ve been in touch several studios in Montreal to arrange a career day for those affected by this. We’re very thankful for all their hard work and we sincerely wish them well."

While obvious speculation would point the blame finger at Thief's notoriously troubled development cycle, it bears mentioning that Eidos Montreal is rumored to have canceled a game it was making in conjunction with Square Enix's Japanese branch recently.

Regardless, it's a shame nonetheless. We wish the best to all affected and hope that everyone lands on their feet sooner rather than later. If anyone would like to chat or further clarify the situation, our inbox is always open.