Eidos Interactive

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Eidos Interactive Limited
Formerly
  • Domark Limited (1984–1990)[1]
  • Domark Group Limited (1990–1996)[1]
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded1984; 40 years ago (1984) in Putney, London, England
Founders
  • Mark Strachan
  • Dominic Wheatley
Defunct10 November 2009; 14 years ago (2009-11-10)
FateMerged with Square Enix in 2009
SuccessorSquare Enix Limited
Headquarters,
England
Key people
Ian Livingstone (executive chairman of Eidos plc, 1995-2002)
Products
Parent

Eidos Interactive Limited (formerly Domark Limited) was a British video game publisher based in Wimbledon, London. Among its notable franchises were Championship Manager, Deus Ex, Hitman, Thief, and Tomb Raider. Domark was founded by Mark Strachan and Dominic Wheatley in 1984. In 1995, it was acquired by software company Eidos. Ian Livingstone, who held a stake in Domark, became executive chairman of Eidos and held various roles including creative director. Eidos took over U.S. Gold in 1996, which included developer Core Design, and merged its operations including Domark, which created publishing subsidiary Eidos Interactive. The company acquired Crystal Dynamics in 1998, and owned numerous other assets. In 2005, parent Eidos was taken over by games publisher SCi. The combined company, SCi Entertainment Group, which was briefly renamed Eidos, was itself taken over by Square Enix in 2009.

Square Enix completed the merger with Eidos Interactive, absorbing it primarily into group company Square Enix Limited in November 2009 (also known as Square Enix Europe). Eidos executive Phil Rogers stayed with the company as Square Enix Europe CEO and became CEO of Americas and Europe in 2013 along with other executives.[a] In August 2022, games holding company Embracer Group completed its acquisition of studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal and intellectual properties Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Thief among other assets. Rogers joined Embracer and formed an operative group called CDE Entertainment.

History

[edit]

Founding of publisher Domark (1984–1994)

[edit]
Former Domark logo (1984–1996)

Domark was founded by Mark Strachan and Dominic Wheatley in 1984. For Christmas 1983, Wheatley (the grandson of the writer Dennis Wheatley) had visited his family, where he saw his brother play The Heroes of Karn on a newly purchased Commodore 64. He was impressed with the game and felt that ordinary people, not just those who worked with computers professionally, would start acquiring computers and games for them. When he returned to his London job as a junior account executive at a small advertising agency, he spoke to Strachan, his colleague, and floated the idea of setting up a company to publish games from third-party developers. Strachan initially declined but later saw that many retailers in the city had sold out of ZX Spectrum models, which he felt signaled great interest in video games. Strachan and Wheatley, then aged 24, subsequently quit their jobs and founded Domark, using a portmanteau of their first names for the company. To design the adventure game Eureka!, they hired the Hungarian developer Andromedia, and brought in Ian Livingstone as its writer. Strachan and Wheatley further devised a competition in which a telephone number would be shown upon completing the game, and the first person to call it would win £25,000. Through friends, family, and other acquaintances, they raised £160,000, more than enough to finance the project. Domark released the game later in 1984, marketing it through Concept Marketing, another firm set up by Strachan and Wheatley. Impressed with the company's operations, Livingstone invested £10,000 in Domark. Eureka! sold 15,000 copies. Domark were unsure what project to pursue next; Strachan and Wheatley had a contact in the estate of Ian Fleming and approached them with the idea of producing a video game based on James Bond. In 1985, Domark obtained a licence to A View to a Kill. Despite delays caused by scope creep, the eponymous game was released later in 1985 and was "actually quite successful", according to Wheatley.[2][3]

Domark found further success with computer conversions of board games: Trivial Pursuit was becoming increasingly popular, so Domark got into contact with games publisher Leisure Genius, which had found success with board game conversions. Leisure Genius was skeptical about a conversion of Trivial Pursuit, and Domark hired Oxford Digital Enterprises to develop it instead. Released in 1986, the Trivial Pursuit sold roughly 2 million copies. The success allowed Domark to move into proper offices and hire more employees. Domark released further Trivial Pursuit and James Bond games in the years following. The company also got into arcade game conversions in 1987 when Wheatley, alone at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, encountered Manlio Allegra, an agent for companies including Atari Games. Allegra wanted Domark to produce conversions for as many games as possible but Wheatley claimed that the company had only £25,000 to spend. Allegra then went through a list of games to be licensed at low prices and Wheatley stopped him when he mentioned the Star Wars trilogy of games. They agreed on a license for Wheatley's claimed budget. To have the games developed, Domark brought a German programmer to England, who had previously developed Star Wars for Amiga. Domark released its versions later in 1987, and they became so successful that the first royalty cheque paid to Atari Games two months later amounted to £280,000. Impressed with this return, Atari Games hired Domark as the exclusive partner for computer conversions of arcade games. With sufficient funds, the company published various games through the rest of the 1980s. It set up an internal development team, The Kremlin, within its Putney headquarters in 1990 and expanded to 20 employees by 1992. In the same year, Livingstone joined Domark's board as an investor, while Wheatley moved with his wife and two children to the US to better manage the company's American contacts. A US subsidiary for Domark was formally established in Silicon Valley in 1993.[2][3]

Takeover and transformation into Eidos Interactive (1994–2005)

[edit]

In 1994, Strachan and Wheatley encountered Charles Cornwall, chairman of Eidos, a company that developed video compression software for systems like the Acorn Archimedes. Domark was struggling on the business side and Eidos had no sales at that time, so the two companies agreed to a reverse merger takeover. Domark was merged with Eidos, with Domark's operations aligned as a subsidiary of the newer Eidos.[2] The deal was announced in September 1995 as an acquisition of Domark (alongside developers Simis and Big Red Software) by Eidos for £12.9 million.[4] The new company was floated on the London Stock Exchange as Eidos that year.[5] Livingstone became executive chairman and Strachan left Domark in that year.[6][2]

On 31 May 1996, Simis and Big Red Software were merged into Domark.[7] Eidos took over CentreGold in April 1996 for £17.6 million. CentreGold consisted of distributor CentreSoft[b] and publisher U.S. Gold, which included development subsidiaries Core Design and Silicon Dreams Studio.[9][10] Eidos Interactive's first major title was soon to be released Tomb Raider by Core Design, which CentreGold had itself acquired two years prior.[11] Silicon Dreams Studio was re-acquired by its founder, Geoff Brown, through newly founded Geoff Brown Holdings (later Kaboom Studios), on 16 December that year.[12] In 1997, Wheatley left the company to move back to Britain and focus on other projects.[2] Opticom entered into an agreement with Eidos to develop storage devices, with both companies holding shares in each other.[13] Eidos acquired developer Crystal Dynamics in September 1998.[14] In 1999, Eidos acquired a 51% stake in Ion Storm, in exchange for advances to the developers,[15] and a US$55m stake in web portal company Maximum Holdings.[16] Eidos founder Stephen B. Streater resigned as director in June and went on to found Forbidden Technologies.[17] The following year Eidos CEO Cornwall left the company to focus on technology and mining interests and was succeeded by former COO Michael McGarvey.[18] A publicised takeover bid from Infogrames Entertainment failed to materialize in October 2000.[19] In January 2002, Eidos established label Fresh Games for games localised from Japan, with titles including Mister Mosquito, Mad Maestro! and Legaia 2: Duel Saga.[20] Livingstone stepped down as chairman and became creative director in September 2002.[21] In 2003, Eidos founded Beautiful Game Studios inside their headquarters, which continued its Championship Manager series after splitting with previous developer Sports Interactive.[22][23] In March 2004, Eidos acquired Danish developer IO Interactive, which was developing published title Hitman: Contracts.[24] Ion Storm was closed in February 2005.[25]

On 21 March 2005, Eidos received a takeover bid from Elevation Partners, a private equity firm owned by former Electronic Arts president John Riccitiello. This takeover valued the company at £71 million, and would inject £23 million in order to keep the company from bankruptcy in the short term.[26] Elevation stated it plans to take Eidos private for some years to focus on game creation and release schedules, and its offer was initially recommended by Eidos' board.[27]

Parent Eidos taken over by SCi (2005–2009)

[edit]

On 22 March 2005, Eidos plc received a second takeover bid from games publisher SCi. The bid was for £74 million, and tabled a restructuring plan to cut £14 million from annual costs. To fund this takeover, SCi proposed to sell £60 million worth of stock. In late April, Elevation Partners formally withdrew its offer, leaving the way clear for SCi.[28] SCi's takeover was finalized on 16 May 2005, with SCi merging itself into Eidos Interactive's parent SCi Entertainment Group. Livingstone was the only returning board member and became product acquisition director.[29][30][31]

Core Design pitched a Tomb Raider remake for the game's 10th anniversary to SCi/Eidos in 2005.[11] Former studio manager Gavin Rummery stated in 2015 that SCi loved the project, but Crystal Dynamics had their own demo, which then convinced SCi to cancel Core's project (Tomb Raider: Anniversary).[11][32] In May 2006, Rebellion Developments acquired Core Designs' assets and staff, while the Core brand and intellectual property, including Tomb Raider, remained with SCi.[33] In December 2006, Warner Bros. licensed classic properties to SCi, while investing for 10.3% of SCi shares.[34] In 2007, SCi acquired a number of new studios for its New Media division: mobile phone developer Rockpool Games, along with its two sister companies Ironstone Partners and SoGoPlay, Morpheme, and gaming portal Bluefish Media.[35][36] Majesco Entertainment signed a distribution deal for eight games with SCi in April 2007.[37] In November 2007, SCi opened a new studio in Montreal, Quebec, which was later named Eidos-Montréal and developed a new game in the Deus Ex franchise.[38][39]

On 4 September 2007, SCi stated that they had been approached with possible offers for the company.[40] By January 2008, the offer talks had halted.[41][42] The share price dropped by over 50% and shareholders called for the resignation of key personnel, including CEO Jane Cavanagh, over this issue as well as delays to key titles.[43] On 18 January 2008, Cavanagh and management team left the company.[44] Jürgen Goeldner was as appointed as interim COO that month.[45][46] In April 2008, newly appointed CEO Phil Rogers, a former Electronic Arts executive, stated they want to be a "leaner and fitter company", as well as "studio-led".[47][48] They moved "certain functions" from the United Kingdom to Quebec, Canada, partially due to economic advantages offered by Montreal's government.[47] SCi subsidiary Pivotal Games was closed in July.[49] Koch Media acquired Proein, SCi's Spanish distribution division, in July 2008.[50] During SCi 2008 financial report, losses were at £100 million, which Rogers stated were due to the reconstructing plans.[51] On 19 September 2008, SCi opened a Shanghai-based studio, Eidos Shanghai, consisting of a small team to build up relations in Asia.[52] In 2008, SCi set up an entity, which later became Square Enix London Studios headed by Lee Singleton in their Wimbledon headquarters.[53][54] In December 2008, SCi rebranded as Eidos.[55] Rockpool Games and Eidos Hungary (formerly Mithis Entertainment) were closed in 2009, among other cuts.[56][57]

SCi/Eidos taken over by and absorbed into Square Enix (2009)

[edit]

In February 2009, Square Enix reached an agreement to purchase Eidos plc for £84.3 million, pending shareholder approval,[58] with an initial aim of completing the takeover on 6 May 2009.[59] The offer was backed by majority stakeholder Warner Bros.[60] The date was brought forward, and Square Enix took over Eidos on 22 April 2009.[61][62] Square Enix initially stated that it would let Eidos remain structured as it was at the time of its takeover.[63] In July 2009, it announced that it would merge Eidos into Square Enix, which created a new entity, tentatively titled Square Enix Europe and described as a business unit representing sales and marketing offices in the United Kingdom, France and Germany.[64][65] Eidos' US operations were merged with Square Enix Incorporated, headed by John Yamamoto.[66] The merger was completed on 10 November 2009 with the company Square Enix Limited organized under Square Enix Europe.[67][68] Square Enix Europe under Rogers continued to managed its own studios.[69] Livingstone became Life President.[70]

Games published

[edit]

Legacy

[edit]

Square Enix divisions

[edit]
[edit]

In May 2022, Square Enix announced it would sell several of Square Enix Limited's assets to Embracer Group for $300 million. These included development studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal, and intellectual properties such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain alongside "50 back-catalogue games", with the deal expected to be completed in the second quarter of Embracer's financial year.[74] Embracer announced that the subsidiaries and IPs would form as their 12th operative group, under the leadership of Phil Rogers, and was later given the name of CDE (Crystal Dynamics - Eidos) Entertainment.[74] Square Enix's activities will continue to include publishing games from third-party studios including Outriders, Life Is Strange and Just Cause. On 20 May 2022, Embracer stated it sees potential in sequels, remakes and remasters.[75] The deal was completed on 26 August 2022.[76] In November 2022, Embracer shut down Square Enix Montréal and transferred Eidos-Shanghai to Gearbox Entertainment as Gearbox Studio Shanghai.[77]

Studios

[edit]
Studio Subsidiary Location Founded Acquired Fate Ref.
Domark London, England 1984 1995 Transformed into Eidos Interactive in 1996 [2]
Simis 1988 [4]
Big Red Software Leamington Spa, England 1989
CentreGold U.S. Gold Birmingham, England 1984 1996 [9]
Core Design Derby, England 1988 Assets acquired by Rebellion Developments in 2006 [10][33]
Silicon Dreams Studio Adderbury, England 1994 Management buyout in 1996 [9][12]
Crystal Dynamics Redwood City, California 1992 1998 Became Square Enix subsidiary, acquired by Embracer in 2022 [14][74]
Ion Storm Dallas, Texas;
Austin, Texas
1996 1999 Closed in 2005 [25]
Beautiful Game Studios Eidos' headquarters 2003 Became Square Enix studio [22]
IO Interactive Copenhagen, Denmark 1998 2004 Became Square Enix subsidiary, management buyout in 2017 [24]
Hapti.co 2012 [78]
Pivotal Games Bath, England 2000 SCi subsidiary Closed in 2008 [49]
Eidos Hungary Budapest, Hungary 2002 2006 Closed in 2009 [56]
Eidos Studios Sweden Helsingborg, Sweden 1987 2006 Closed in 2008 [79]
Eidos-Montréal Montreal, Quebec 2007 Became Square Enix subsidiary, acquired by Embracer in 2022 [38]
Eidos-Shanghai Shanghai, China 2008 Became part of Eidos-Montréal in 2019, became Gearbox Studio Shanghai in 2022 [52][80][77]
Morpheme Wireless London, England 1999 2007 Closed in 2009 [81]
Gimme5Games 2007 Management buyout in 2009 [82]
Rockpool Games Manchester, England 2002 2007 Closed in 2009 [57]
Square Enix Montréal Montreal, Quebec 2011 Acquired and closed by Embracer in 2022 [72][83]
Square Enix London Mobile London, England 2021 [84]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Americas referring to fellow group company Square Enix Incorporated. Square Enix Limited's area of activity are former PAL territories, while Square Enix Incorporated's area of activity are the Americas.
  2. ^ Distributor Centresoft conducted a management buyout.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Square Enix Limited - Overview". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Companies House. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Crookes, David (10 November 2011). "From the Archives: Domark". Retro Gamer. No. 96. Imagine Publishing. pp. 36–41.
  3. ^ a b McKeigue, James (23 February 2011). "Dominic Wheatley: My 'Eureka' moment in computer gaming". MoneyWeek.
  4. ^ a b "Eidos Acquires Three Companies, Unveils Placing". Telecompaper. 25 September 1995. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. ^ Ashton, James (24 August 2015). "Tomb Raider creator on the claim that video games harm children". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  6. ^ Corriea, Alexa Ray (30 September 2013). "Eidos President and CEO Ian Livingstone departs after 20 years". Polygon. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  7. ^ Sherman, Christopher (April 1996). "Four Way Merger Between Domark, Big Red, Simis, and Eidos". Next Generation. No. 16. Imagine Media. p. 23.
  8. ^ "GameSpy: Eidos Interactive". Gamespy.com.
  9. ^ a b c "Deals that shook the industry: 5/10". MCV. 25 July 2008. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Core Founder Steps Down". IGN. 15 July 2003. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  11. ^ a b c Moss, Richard (31 March 2015). ""It felt like robbery": Tomb Raider and the fall of Core Design". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Silicon Dreams To Be 75% Acquired By New Firm". Telecompaper. 16 December 1996. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  13. ^ Flaa, Eirik (20 January 1998). "Opticom under juletreet i 99". Digi.no. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  14. ^ a b Dresser, Guy (8 September 1998). "Eidos's £28.4m deal for Crystal is virtual reality". The Birmingham Post. p. 22. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Biederman, Christine (29 April 1999). "Vapor war". Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  16. ^ "Eidos Takes $55m Stake in Portal Player Maximum". Tech Monitor. 15 November 1999. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Eidos founder Stephen Streater resigns directorship". Telecompaper. 11 June 1999. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  18. ^ Cowell, Alan (2 November 2000). "Technology Briefing: Deals; Eidos Executive Resigns". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  19. ^ Milmo, Dan (31 May 2001). "£50m share offer to save Eidos". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Eidos Establishes Fresh Games". IGN. 25 January 2002. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  21. ^ Carless, Simon (29 September 2005). "Livingstone Presumes Reappearance At Eidos". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Square Enix Restructures Beautiful Game Studios, Cuts Positions". Game Developer. 26 November 2009. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  23. ^ Hall, Lee (28 June 2012). "Sports Interactive details split from Eidos after nine years of silence". Edge Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012.
  24. ^ a b Calvert, Justin (4 March 2004). "Eidos announces results and acquisition of Io Interactive". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  25. ^ a b Bramwell, Tom (11 February 2005). "Eidos closes Ion Storm Austin". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  26. ^ Maragos, Nich; Carless, Simon (21 March 2005). "Elevation Partners Purchases Eidos". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  27. ^ Szalai, George (29 March 2005). "Eidos Accepts Elevation Buyout; SCi Makes Play". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  28. ^ Fildes, Nic (8 April 2005). "Eidos Accepts Offer From SCi, Drops Support for Elevation". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Eidos' board resigns". GamesIndustry International. 20 May 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2023 – via Eurogamer.net.
  30. ^ Gibson, Ellie (30 September 2005). "Livingstone takes on new role at Eidos". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  31. ^ Boyes, Emma (15 November 2006). "Q&A: Ian Livingstone on 10 years of Lara". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  32. ^ Prince, Chloe (5 August 2020). "Inside The Cancelled Tomb Raider Game From The Original Creators". TheGamer. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  33. ^ a b Gibon, Ellie (16 June 2006). "Rebellion acquires Core Design staff and assets". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  34. ^ Dobson, Jason; Boyer, Brandon (15 December 2006). "Warner Bros, SCi Sign Investment, Licensing Agreement". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  35. ^ Sliwinski, Alexander (23 January 2009). "Eidos closes mobile developer Rockpool Games". Engadget. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  36. ^ Sinclair, Brandon (16 April 2007). "Eidos buys into digital distribution, casual games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  37. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (18 April 2007). "Eidos brings Majesco to Europe, Australia". GameSpot. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  38. ^ a b Alexander, Leigh (26 November 2007). "Eidos Announces Deus Ex 3, Talks New Montreal Studio". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  39. ^ Thorsen, Tor (26 November 2007). "Eidos resurrecting Deus Ex?". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  40. ^ Elliott, Phil (4 September 2007). "SCi confirms approach has been made". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  41. ^ "Lara Croft firm scraps bid talks". BBC. 11 January 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  42. ^ "Takeover talk at Tomb Raider firm". BBC. 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  43. ^ Armitstead, Louise (13 January 2008). "Game Over for Tomb Raider boss". The Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  44. ^ Martin, Matt (18 January 2008). "SCi management quit beleaguered publisher". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Wird Goeldner SCi-COO?". GamesMarkt.de (in German). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  46. ^ Martin, Matt (21 January 2008). "SCi appoints Funsoft, THQ vet as COO". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  47. ^ a b Parfitt, Ben (7 April 2008). "Interview – Phil Rogers". MCV/Develop. ISSN 1469-4832. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  48. ^ Dobson, Jason (16 March 2007). "Former EA Exec Joins SCi To Identify 'Development Ops'". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  49. ^ a b "Pivotal Games shuts its doors". MCV. 14 July 2008. ISSN 1469-4832. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  50. ^ "Koch in for Eidos-owned distributor". MCV. 23 July 2008. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  51. ^ "SCi results reaction". MCV/Develop. 15 September 2008. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  52. ^ a b French, Micheal (19 September 2008). "Eidos opens Shanghai base". MCV/Develop. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  53. ^ a b Nutt, Christian (1 August 2011). "Square Enix Nabs Rights To True Crime: Hong Kong From Activision". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  54. ^ Crossley, Rob (14 April 2010). "Enix rising". MCV/Develop. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  55. ^ Caoili, Eric (3 December 2008). "SCi Finalizes Name Change To Eidos As Buyout Rumors Mount". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  56. ^ a b Crossley, Rob (19 April 2010). "Square Enix comes clean on cuts and closure". MCV/Develop. ISSN 1469-4832. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  57. ^ a b Martin, Matt (23 January 2009). "Eidos closes Manchester studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  58. ^ Plunkett, Luke (12 February 2009). "Square Enix Trying To Buy Tomb Raider". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  59. ^ Fahey, Mike (4 March 2009). "Eidos Pencils In Square Enix Takeover For May". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  60. ^ Jenkins, David (16 February 2009). "Warner Backs Square Enix Bid For Eidos". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  61. ^ Bradshaw, Tim; Palmer, Maija (27 March 2009). "Eidos approves takeover by Square Enix". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  62. ^ "Recommended Cash Offer for Eidos Plc By SQEX Ltd. To Be Effected By Means of a Scheme of Arrangement Under the UK Companies Act 2006" (PDF). Square Enix. 12 February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  63. ^ Fahey, Mike (27 March 2009). "Square Enix Lets Eidos Be Eidos". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  64. ^ "Square Enix Europe formed". ComputerAndVideoGames. 11 July 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  65. ^ Plunkett, Luke (8 July 2009). "Goodbye Eidos, Hello Square Enix Europe". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  66. ^ Elliott, Phil (7 July 2009). "Square Enix revamps Europe operation". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  67. ^ Elliott, Phil (10 November 2009). "Square Enix confirms European identity". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  68. ^ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (10 November 2009). "Square and Eidos now known as Square Enix Europe". VG247. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  69. ^ "Mike Fischer Appointed President and CEO at US-Based SQUARE ENIX, INC". Cision PR Newswire. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023. Although based in North America, development studios Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal are managed by SQUARE ENIX EUROPE, UK-based business unit.
  70. ^ Remo, Chris (23 April 2010). "Eidos Life President Ian Livingstone Granted British Inspiration Award". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  71. ^ a b McCaffrey, Ryan (18 August 2020). "Outriders Bosses Discuss Working on Hitman, Just Cause, Sleeping Dogs, and More – IGN Unfiltered #52". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  72. ^ a b Grant, Christopher (21 November 2011). "Square Enix Montreal opening in 2012, working on Hitman; Eidos Montreal adds 100, working on 'third AAA project'". Engadget. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  73. ^ Ligman, Kris (7 November 2013). "Square Enix shares its publishing vision for Collective". Game Developer. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  74. ^ a b c Bankhurst, Adam (2 May 2022). "Embracer Group Enters Agreement to Acquire Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal for $300 Million". IGN. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  75. ^ Ivan, Tom (20 May 2022). "Embracer sees 'great potential' in Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal sequels, remakes and remasters". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  76. ^ Bankhurst, Adam; Dinsdale, Ryan (26 August 2022). "Embracer Completes Acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montréal, and Eidos-Montréal". IGN. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  77. ^ a b Sinclair, Brendan (15 November 2022). "Eidos Shanghai becomes Gearbox Shanghai". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  78. ^ Cowley, Ric (5 September 2017). "Wargaming Mobile acquires Copenhagen-based casual mobile game developer Hapti.co". pocketgamer.biz.
  79. ^ Zackariasson, Peter; Wilson, Timothy L. (2012). The video game industry: formation, present state, and future. New York: Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-203-10649-5. OCLC 809638566. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  80. ^ Eidos-Montréal 15th Anniversary, 15 February 2022, archived from the original on 11 April 2022, retrieved 11 April 2022
  81. ^ Martin, Matt (17 April 2007). "Eidos acquires mobile developer Morpheme". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  82. ^ Martin, Matt (9 February 2009). "Eidos drops casual games studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  83. ^ Schreier, Jason (1 November 2022). "Embracer Group Shuts Down Montreal Video Game Studio". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  84. ^ Batchelor, James (20 October 2021). "Square Enix opens London mobile studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]