Eidos Montreal Lays Off 27 Employees

Following the tepid reception of Thief from both fans and critics alike, Eidos Montreal (also at work on a new Deus Ex title) reportedly has laid off 27 employees. Here’s the official explanation a rep gave to Polygon:

“Yes it is true we’ve let 27 people go today, unfortunately it’s something that every major studio has to do sometimes in order to ensure you have the right set up for current and future projects,” reads a statement from Eidos Montreal.

“It’s never a nice thing to do but we are genuinely trying to offer as much support as much as we can. We’re trying to re-locate as many people as possible into other roles here or at our other studios and we’ve been in touch [with] several studios in Montreal to arrange a career day for those affected by this,” the statement continues. “We’re very thankful for all their hard work and we sincerely wish them well.”

It’ll be interesting to know how the studio is being restructured, considering they have a large amount of employees and only one project officially announced (with rumors of a third IP that was in the works also canceled). To add to that, I’m skeptical on the chances of a Thief sequel, considering the troubled development of the recently-released title and its disappointing reception. Either way, good luck to everyone affected.