I came across news about the shutdown of Onoma (formerly Square Enix Montreal), and it was surprising to me how dynamic changes can happen in the video game industry.
Founded in 2011, Onoma was known for its work on the well-regarded Go series of mobile games, which included Hitman Go, Lara Croft Go, and Deus Ex Go.
Timeline:
May 2 – Embracer Group announced the purchase of Square Enix Montreal, as well as former Square Enix studios Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal;
August 26 – the acquisition was closed;
October 3 – Square Enix Montreal only just announced its rebranding to Onoma;
November 1 – Embracer Group shuts down Onoma
One would think if Embracer Group or Onoma had expected this shutdown, they would not have made an effort to rebrand “Square Enix Montreal” to “Onoma”. However, it took less than a month for this newly branded studio to be permanently closed.
I wonder if this may be related to Bill 96 discussed in a previous post or the labour shortage in the video game industry.
Check out theVideos of Interest to Law 423 on YouTube 
Communications Law
Join the Community!