Embracer Group announced that it is shutting down multiple Square Enix mobile games developed by its recent acquisition Onoma. This studio, formerly known as Square Enix Montreal, will remove four games from app stores on December 1, 2022, before definitely ending their support.
Last August, Embracer Group completed the acquisition of three major Square Enix studios: Guardians of the Galaxy developer Eidos Montreal, Marvel's Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics, and mobile game developer Square Enix Montreal. On top of expanding its studio portfolio, Embracer Group acquired the rights to more than 50 IPs including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain. With this acquisition, Embracer Group further expanded its importance in the video game industry, as the company already owned Alone in the Dark publisher THQ Nordic, Evil Dead: The Game developer Saber Interactive, and Goat Simulator developer Coffee Stain Studios, among other assets.
Embracer Group is now shutting down multiple Square Enix mobile games, less than a month after a cost-cutting initiative closed Onoma. While some of Onoma's staff moved to Eidos Montreal, Embracer Group announced that the ongoing projects from the studio will be completely scrapped. Four mobile games will no longer be available past January 4, 2023: Arena Battle Champions, Deus Ex Go, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, and Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes.
Embracer Group is reducing its available games by removing these four Square Enix mobile titles from the App Store and Google Play Store on December 1, 2022. Players who already own these games can keep on playing for one more month before the servers of Arena Battle Champions, Deus Ex Go, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, and Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes shut down permanently. The studio also declared that in-game purchases are already no longer available and that no refunds will be issued. Those who already purchased in-game bonuses can enjoy them before the games shut down completely on January 4, 2023.
The removal of these four Square Enix mobile games marks the decision of Embracer Group to focus solely on PC and console games. The company has various titles in development, such as Dead Island 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake, and Payday 3, among others. Embracer Group previously shared its interest in developing a new Legacy of Kain game after Crystal Dynamics sent out a survey to gauge interest in a reboot of the franchise and received over 100,000 responses.