Eidos-Montréal was established in 2007 by British publisher Eidos Interactive, with industry veteran Stéphane D'Astous as its founding general manager, planting a purpose-built AAA studio in the heart of Montreal's booming development scene. Its mandate was audacious for a brand-new team - resurrect Deus Ex, one of the most revered and demanding properties in PC gaming - and the studio answered with Deus Ex: Human Revolution in 2011, a prequel whose golden-hued cyberpunk aesthetic, layered level design and player-driven approach to every encounter earned it a place among the great immersive sims. When Square Enix acquired Eidos in 2009, the studio became a cornerstone of the publisher's western operations, following Human Revolution with the atmospheric stealth reboot Thief in 2014 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided in 2016, which pushed the series' systemic gameplay further on the studio's in-house Dawn Engine.
Alongside its own franchises, Eidos-Montréal grew into an essential partner on Tomb Raider - building the multiplayer for the 2013 reboot and co-developing Rise of the Tomb Raider - before stepping up to lead development for the first time on Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018, steering Lara Croft's origin trilogy to its darkest and most ambitious conclusion. The studio then delivered Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy in 2021, a single-player action-adventure whose sharp character writing drew wide critical praise. In August 2022, Embracer Group completed its acquisition of Eidos-Montréal alongside sister studio Crystal Dynamics, opening a new chapter of independence from Square Enix. The studio remains based in Montreal, Quebec - one of Canada's largest AAA teams and the standard-bearer for thoughtful, systems-rich action games.
