Embracer grabs Crystal Dynamics + Eidos Montreal + Square Enix Montreal for $300 million! This isn't just Tomb Raider, Thief, and Deus Ex (no no no)... this includes over 50 back-catalog games.
Square-Enix seemed to have set their sights too high when it comes to certain games like Marvel Avengers and the recent Guardians of the Galaxy. You might recall that their CEO (Yosuke Matsuda) felt that Japanese devs fall short when trying to emulate Western games, but I'm instead of just placing IPs in a closet never to be seen again... at least they're being sold off (finally).
A few things happened in the past that were hints at this sale happening. Square Enix wasn't happy with the performance of Hitman, and Deus Ex back in 2017... and IO Interactive decided to go their own way with the Hitman IP to keep it alive. I think it was awesome for the Hitman developer to make that move, and it was less pressure from corporate.
I wouldn't say Embracer Group is a bad home for these dev teams and their IPs because it shouldn't be when you consider their reach and willingness to adapt, but I hope the new home is even better for the developers and gamers. Currently, Crystal Dynamics is working on a brand new Tomb Raider game (which the franchise has limitless potential in my opinion) + we can't forget about the Microsoft X Crystal Dynamics Perfect Dark reboot.
I would say that Epic Games should've considered placing their hat in the race also... if they want to become a bigger threat as far as PC gaming platforms are concerned, but I wouldn't want there to potentially be restrictions on where the games would be available. Epic is still in the mix with several Eidos Montreal projects being developed with the Unreal Engine 5... so hopefully, it's a win-win for all (especially the gamers). We don't know what that full list of games is that were acquired, but one was Legacy of Kain. I highly doubt Parasite Eve would be part of the package, but one could dream... especially if Square Enix doesn't do anything with it. They annoy the crap out of me with that. Do something with it... do a crowdfund if you don't believe in it, sell it, let someone else work their magic with a remake, collab with Capcom, whatever... make something awesome!
I thoroughly look forward to playing this game when it gets released. They've had time to get their feel of how things should be, and they even improved on Deus Ex: Human Revolution which... the original was still quite cool (though it felt a bit stiff to me at times). I was one of the initial supporters that pre-order the Augmented Edition on Onlive (no less)... which I was able to complete the game after enjoying it for awhile. I didn't rush through it, I soaked it in.
When the Onlive streaming service went goodbye... and the micro-console system + the controller went auto-paperweight, I went and got a copy of the Director's Cut (eventually) just to have it as a part of my library, because I like to go back and play great games.
By the way, whoever made the decision at Onlive to not even give the supporters the option to utilize the micro-console or controller in an alternate way via some sort of software or open source code to create some type of software... you royally suck for that. Money went into that... on both ends, and just because it wasn't going to result in you making anymore money... shouldn't mean that it should've also burned supporters.
Then again on the financial end, they could've repackaged it and made it solely a streaming device we control via our PC and made money from the hardware. The controller should've been reusable especially, that could've been used on PC and mobile, and i'd encourage tech modders to see what can be done with the Onlive hardware because... it would breathe life back into something that essentially recycles it (green gaming!). Like captain planet said, the power is yours. If you aren't familiar with Captain planet, he was the superhero that fought to protect the earth from pollution.
Onlive's situation has nothing to do with Square-Enix, its a different company entirely... but it was the perfect opportunity to vent about that, because I got the micro-console system for Deus Ex: HR: AE to enjoy and try out streaming. Which is why streaming only consoles aren't exactly a fave, though I wouldn't have that same judgement towards devices that more so stream from the PC... as mentioned above (like the Steam link).
AWARD-WINNING ARTIST SASCHA DIKICIYAN TO COMPOSE TRACKS FOR DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED
Original Soundtrack to release this Fall
MONTRÉAL (May 18, 2016) – Square-Enix® and Eidos®-Montréal today announced that, in addition to Michael McCann returning to compose music for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, award-winning artist Sascha Dikiciyan (aka Sonic Mayhem) will also bring his talent to the game’s soundtrack. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s Original Soundtrack will be available worldwide this fall.
Overseen by Executive Audio Director Steve Szczepkowski, the music direction of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided represents an evolution of the score created for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The world ofDeus Ex has dramatically changed since the final events of Human Revolution, which culminated with the Aug Incident. The golden age of augmentations is now over, and mechanically augmented humans have been segregated from the rest of society. Mankind Divided deals with heavier subjects and, as a result, the music has been adapted to reflect the new state of the world. It plays a key role in immersing players within the more mature and darker atmosphere of the game, while still staying true to Deus Ex’sdistinctive and signature style.
Hear Sascha Dikiciyan’s work in action in both the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided 101 trailer and the Adam Jensen 2.0 trailer.
“It was important for us to build upon the strong foundation of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, but also to let it stand on its own. Along the way, we realized this game was much vaster than anticipated and we made the choice to add another composer to the team. Sascha Dikiciyan’s music stood out,” said Steve Szczepkowski. “After talking with Sascha, it became clear that we shared the same vision and passion for what musically drives Deus Ex. Sascha’s influences mirror ours in many ways, yet he also brings a whole other set of influences to the table. Sascha is completely immersed in the musical feeling of Deus Ex; he’s a huge fan of the franchise, and that comes through loud and clear in his compositions. We can’t wait for people to hear the work that he’s done and we are all thrilled he’s now part of the Deus Exfamily!”
Sumthing Else Music Works and Eidos-Montréal will release the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided OST this fall.
Those backwards compatible 360 titles for Xbox One are still rolling out... and we have the newest line up below (compliments of Microsoft). Game on!
______________________________________
"Last month we launched one of the most requested features: Xbox One Backward Compatibility, with an initial set of more than 100 titles, allowing fans to take their Xbox 360 experience to Xbox One." - Addie
