Other details about this project included an emphasis on melee-centric combat, as well as parkour for exploration. While the CVs haven’t outright named this project, Insider Gaming’s report confirms that the project was indeed a reboot of Legacy of Kain. It is also worth noting that the reboot’s development wasn’t really affected by the recent lay-offs. Rather, it had been cancelled several years ago, shortly after the studio was acquired by Embracer Group.

The report also notes that the reboot wasn’t particularly far into development, with only it only having been developed for a single year before its cancellation. Since then, the IP has been handed to Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, and the fate of the IP since then is currently unknown.

As for the current state of Eidos Montreal, the studio is reportedly working on a major project of its own, with development on it having started all the way back in 2019. The project has been noted as having “hundreds of millions of dollars” invested into it, and while the report indicates that it won’t end up recouping these costs, the investments are considered major enough to not cancel the project outright.

The recent lay-offs at Eidos Montreal have affected an unknown number of employees at the studio. It largely came to light thanks to employees like former gameplay director Samuel Daher confirming the fact through posts on social media. “Hey there! Was working at Eidos, loved it and would have stayed, but times are difficult,” posted Daher. “I’m eager to find a new professional home to drive design on new productions.”

However, this was only the second round of lay-offs to have hit Eidos Montreal this year. Back in April, the studio had announced that it was letting go of 75 of its employees. These lay-offs were described at the time as having happened because it couldn’t find spots for the employees in other development teams across the studio.

“Today, we informed our studio staff that we are going to let go up to 75 valuable members, as one of our mandates is coming to an end,” announced the studio earlier this year. “It is not a reflection of their dedication or skills, but unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to entirely reallocate them to our other ongoing projects and services.”

“These very talented, highly experienced experts are going to enter the employment market, and we are working to support them through this transition.”

Eidos Montreal has had a rocky period of time for a few years now, with its last major title being Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Since then, the company has been working as a support studio on projects like the upcoming Fable and Grounded 2.

According to IGN, Starr was asked during SlayStation: The Crystal Ball what character he would like to portray from any other game, to which the actor replied with Raziel from Soul Reaver. Starr later confirmed to IGN that he would like to portray Raziel if the role were to open up thanks to a remaster, remake or sequel of the classic Legacy of Kain games.

While the Legacy of Kain series has been considered long-dead, the IP is currently owned by the Embracer Group, and one of its studios, Crystal Dynamics, was prodding for consumer interest in the series back in late 2022. The studio, currently working on a new Tomb Raider game, has stated that the response to its survey was positive, and that the fans’ demands for Legacy of Kain has been “loud and clear”.

Embracer Group itself has seemed open to the idea, revealing after acquiring IP owned by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal that it would be releasing sequels, remakes, remasters and spinoffs based on the studios’ IPs.

Created by Uncharted creator Amy Hennig back in 1997, the widely acclaimed franchise hasn’t seen a new release in nearly two decades. Recently, however, Crystal Dynamics sent out a survey to gauge the level of interest in a Legacy of Kain revival, with questions in the survey asking whether fans would prefer a remake, a remaster, a sequel, or a complete reboot, among other things.

The response to that survey has been positive, it turns out, and Crystal Dynamics says it hears fans’ demands “loud and clear”.

“We wanted to gain a community perspective on what players are looking for should we revisit the land of Nosgoth and our iconic IP, Legacy of Kain,” Crystal Dynamics CEO Phil Rogers said during Embracer Group’s recent earnings call (transcribed by VGC). “In the past, we’ve found that surveys typically get between 1,000 and 3,000 responses, but when we asked folk about Legacy of Kain, we received over 100,000 responses. 73,000 gamers completed it entirely, and if you are one of them, we thank you very much, and we appreciate it was quite an effort given the survey was pretty extensive.

“We saw the news of our survey shared across social and press platforms and we really felt this was a great way to reignite this passionate fan community with this legendary PC and console game series. Rest assured, we hear you loudly and clearly, and we will continue to update you on the what if possibilities ahead for Legacy of Kain in the future.”

Of course, that’s not exactly an announcement of a new game, but at the same time, it makes it abundantly clear that Crystal Dynamics is giving serious thought to bringing Legacy of Kain back in some fashion. Earlier this year, Embracer Group said that following acquisition, IPs owned by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal would not only receive sequels, but possibly also remakes, remasters, and spinoffs.

A survey focused on Legacy of Kain was recently sent out, with Crystal Dynamics asking people if they’d like a revival of the franchise, and what form they’d want it to take. Questions in the survey ask whether fans would prefer a remake, a remaster, a sequel, or a complete reboot, while other questions are focused on what genre and storytelling style players would prefer, among other things.

Before completing the acquisition of Square Enix’s western studios, the Embracer Group said that it’d look into developing sequels, remakes, and spinoffs in its newly acquired franchises, so there’s definitely a glimmer of hope for long-suffering fans.

Crystal Dynamics has stared working on the next mainline Tomb Raider game, and also continues to support Marvel’s Avengers. The studio is also co-developing Perfect Dark alongside The Initiative.

Crystal Dynamics recently published an update on its website in which it confirmed that it now owns the Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain franchises, which also includes gameplay and personal data for those games.

“We are excited to inform you that Crystal Dynamics has taken control of several game franchises—including TOMB RAIDER and Legacy of Kain—from the games’ previous owner, Square Enix Limited.

“As a result of this change, Crystal Dynamics (or its affiliate) is now the owner of these games and the controller of the gameplay and personal data related to them.”

Meanwhile, Eidos Montreal has also updated its terms of use, confirming that the ownership of the Deus Ex and Thief IPs has transferred to the studio from Square Enix.

“As we’ve left Square Enix Ltd and joined the Embracer Group, we are starting an exciting new chapter in Eidos-Montréal’s history. While it’s not quite as exciting, it also means we have to let you know that we’ve updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Notice!

“To put things simply, the big change is that Eidos-Montréal (or its affiliates) is now the owner of the games it developed, like the Deus Ex and Thief games, and the controller of the data obtained from the various gameplay metrics tracked in its titles.”

What the future holds for these franchises remains to be seen. Of the ones mentioned above, Tomb Raider currently has a new game in development at Crystal Dynamics, though reports have suggested that Eidos Montreal is working on a new IP.

The Embracer Group has previously said of the two studios’ franchises that in addition to sequels, it will also look to develop remasters, remakes, and spinoffs. Read more on that through here.

In addition to the three studios, the company now also owns a number of major former Square Enix intellectual properties, including the likes of Deus Ex, Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain, and Thief, along with over 50 back-catalog titles.

The new acquisitions will operate under a new publishing label formed by Embracer, which will be the company’s 12th operating group, led by Phil Rogers, CEO of Square Enix Europe and North America. The name of the operating group hasn’t yet been unveiled. Recently, it announced and established Freemode as its 11th operating group.

As for what we can expect from these newly-acquired studios in the future, that remains to be seen. Crystal Dynamics has started development on the next Tomb Raider game, and is also co-developing Perfect Dark alongside Microsoft’s The Initiative, while work on Marvel’s Avengers also continues. Meanwhile, Eidos Montreal is reportedly developing a new IP.

Embracer Group has previously also said that Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics will both be working on “very sizable AAA experiences” based on “beloved franchises as well as original IPs”. The company has also said that in addition to new instalments, it’ll also look into developing remakes, remasters, and spinoffs based on its newly acquired IPs.

Embracer Group’s spree of acquisitions, meanwhile, has continued in recent weeks, with the company having acquired the likes of Limited Run Games, Tripwire Interactive, and more, in addition to the IP rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

In its recent quarterly fiscal briefing, the Embracer Group said that not only does it see potential in making sequels for these franchises, but also remakes, remasters, spinoffs, and more.

“We see a great potential, not only in sequels, but also in remakes, remasters, spinoffs as well as transmedia projects across the Group,” the company wrote.

The Embracer Group has been known to release remakes and remasters for a number of its acquired properties over the years, including the likes of Destroy All Humans!, Kingdoms of Amalur, and SpongeBob SquarePants, to name a few, so it won’t be surprising to see the acquired Square Enix properties getting a similar treatment- and that’s sure to be something that gets fans excited. For instance, there are no few people out there who would give anything for a Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver remake.

Of course, the acquisition hasn’t yet been finalized. According to the Embracer Group, the ink will dry on the deal sometime in Q3 of this year, which is the July-September period, so it’ll be a while before we get any official announcements.

Shortly after the acquisition was announced, it was confirmed that Crystal Dynamics would continue to co-developed the upcoming Perfect Dark with Xbox first party studio The Initiative. Meanwhile, it’s also been confirmed that the Crystal Dynamics-developed Marvel’s Avengers and the Eidos Montreal-developed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are also included in the acquisition, though those specific points will still require Disney’s approval.

Lars Wingefors, co-founder and group CEO of the Embracer Group, stated, ”We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognize the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades. It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions and become a great part of Embracer.”

Phil Rogers, Square Enix America and Europe CEO, said, ”Embracer is the best kept secret in gaming: a massive, decentralized collection of entrepreneurs whom we are thrilled to become a part of today. It is the perfect fit for our ambitions: make high-quality games, with great people, sustainably, and grow our existing franchises to their best versions ever. Embracer allows us to forge new partnerships across all media to maximize our franchises’ potential and live our dreams of making extraordinary entertainment.”

The three studios comprise about 1100 employees across eight locations worldwide. These acquisitions are only the latest in Embracer’s spree – it’s acquired the likes of Aspyr Media (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake), 4A Games (Metro Exodus), Ghost Ship Games (Deep Rock Galactic), Perfect World Entertainment (Neverwinter), Dark Horse Media and much more. It recently completed its merger with Gearbox Entertainment.

It’s unclear what this could mean for future projects like Tomb Raider (with the next game using Unreal Engine 5) or ongoing games-as-a-service titles like Marvel’s Avengers. Then again, it does mean some potentially new projects for franchises like Legacy of Kain and Deus Ex, which have been dormant for years now. The Embracer Group had previously announced plans to release over 25 triple-A titles by April 2026, so stay tuned for more details.

Crystal Dynamics may be known for working only on the Tomb Raider games these days, but not so long ago, they helmed the fan favorite Legacy of Kain action adventure games too- a series that has long been dormant, but has seen its fans clamor for its return for at least as long.

Speaking to Australian website Finder, Michael Brinker, who is senior designer on Rise of the Tomb Raider, said that a new installment in the franchise not as out of the question as its long hiatus would have you believe.

“It’s a 50/50 chance,” he said. “We have in-house developers who really want to make that game. It’s interesting because people look back at our history and our franchises and see that we have some really iconic IPs. So gamers wonder ‘Where are they and what are they doing?’ Well, we’re always tossing around and talking about ideas. It really is 50/50.”

The Legacy of Kain does have a very vocal fanbase, and the games had a unique flavor all of their own- I think I speak for many when I say that a new entry would be greatly appreciated.

Square Enix has announced that they are planning on re-opening the doors to testers once the development of their upcoming free-to-play multiplayer game, Nosgoth moves from closed alpha to a closed beta. As things stand currently, the game is still closed off in its alpha testing phase while developer Psyonix are ascertaining feedback from the first wave. This news seems to indicate that their current stable of testers is not providing sufficient feedback, necessitating more varied opinions.

In a recent statement regarding the status of Nosgoth, Square Enix wrote: “Unfortunately, we’ve had to limit the number of players during closed alpha to be able to test the game’s network infrastructure, but this will change soon once we get into closed beta and start letting more players in,”

Nosgoth is a massively multiplayer title set in the same universe as the Legacy Of Kain. It features intense PVP combat and is the first game related to the series since the 2003 title, Legacy of Kain: Defiance. A release date is still to be decided.

Source: Polygon