Square Enix Western Studios Sold due to Sony Acquisition Interest, Suggests Eidos Montreal Founder
Square Enix unexpectedly announced back in May that it would be selling off multiple Western studios and IPs to the Embracer Group. The sale included studios such as Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics, with a treasure trove of IPs such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and much more.
The ongoing discussion at the time was that Sony was looking to acquire Square Enix, but not as a whole. By trimming down certain parts of the company, Sony was looking to simply get its Tokyo HQ. It seems that one high-ranking official thought so as well.
Eidos Montreal founder Stephane D’Astous recently revealed in an interview on GamesIndustry.biz that he had thought of that approach, along with hearing rumors of such moves.
“If I read between the lines, Square Enix Japan was not as committed as we hoped initially. And there are rumors, obviously, that with all these activities of mergers and acquisitions, that Sony would really like to have Square Enix within their wheelhouse,” D’Astous said. “I heard rumors 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.”
This garage sale was indeed a total “steal” in current terms, with the Embracer Group only putting out $300 Million for a wealth of talent and IPs that can be used for future products.
D’Astous went on to compare the sale to another acquisition by the Embracer Group.
“Gearbox has about 1,000 staff. Eidos has about 1,000. They have basically Borderlands and others, and Eidos has five times the IPs. So why four times less? I guess there weren’t a lot of key people interested. And it shows the health of the value of the potential of Eidos, unfortunately.“
While no concrete proof of said strategy can be seen, Sony is indeed looking to acquire more talents to bolster its first-party offerings. Square Enix indeed is looking rather tasty, especially with its recent barrage of titles lined up for the rest of 2022 including Valkyrie Elysium, Star Ocean The Divine Force, and The DioField Chronicles, among others.
