Publisher Embracer Group has decided to shut down Studio Onoma, the mobile game studio it acquired mere months ago. The Canada-based studio closing its doors will affect about 200 employees.
Related: How much did Embracer pay for Lord of The Rings rights?
Embracer had completed the acquisition of the studio in late August, as it was then labeled Square Enix Montréal. In mid-October, Square Enix Montréal rebranded as Studio Onoma and was working on three new mobile games, along with being at the helm of other popular mobile games.
Embracer-owned business group CDE Entertainment was formed with assets bought from Square Enix and was in charge of Studio Onoma. CDE stated that Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal will be the main focus of investment further on. It seems like this decision is based solely on economic purposes.
Phil Rogers, Director of CDE Entertainment, shared these comments with GI.biz:
“With the opportunity to form the 12th operative group within Embracer, we have massive ambitions across Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal. We see the growth opportunities centered around our premier franchises and AAA games. Closing publishing QA and our Onoma studio is a difficult decision and one that we’ve taken with great care and consideration. We greatly thank all those team members for their contributions over the years and hope to find proper placements for as many as possible.”
Onoma was established in 2011 as Square Enix Montréal, and the studio went on to make popular titles such as Hitman GO, Hitman Sniper, Lara Croft GO, Deus Ex GO, and Hitman Sniper: The Shadows. It will be curious to see where the experienced team of Studio Onoma will end up on their next adventure in the game industry.
