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Yesterday, it was confirmed via Eidos Montreal’s official LinkedIn page that the studio, owned by Embracer Group, would significantly trim its staff and lay off 124 employees.
The layoffs were divided between the studio’s production and support teams, and were a result of “changing project needs.”
“Today is a difficult day for our studio and reflects the need to adapt and concentrate efforts where Eidos-Montreal can be most effective,” the statement reads.
“We are deeply grateful to the team members impacted – this decision is not a reflection of their talent, dedication, or performance. Supporting those impacted with care and respect remains our priority, while ensuring continuity for the teams moving forward.”
Included in those departing the studio is David Anfossi, the studio’s head.
As per an Insider Gaming report this morning, all of these job cuts are the result of Eidos Montreal’s seven-year project, Wildlands, which has been suddenly cancelled despite reports claiming the game had passed milestones and was likely to release this year.
Sources close to IG claim the game’s development had suffered conflicts relating to narrative direction, being rotated through four separate game engines, and a budget that ballooned to the hundreds of millions.
According to IG, who were provided footage of the game, which isn’t expected to be made public, the game was an open-world, third-person action-adventure game about a group of teenagers called Spiritbounds, who’d ward off spirits using magic and mythical mounts. The player-character, River, had a giant moose-like companion named Redheart.
