Square Enix Montreal Rebrands, Now Studio Onoma

There’s nothing quite like the look and feel of a fresh start, and it seems as though that’s the case for the studio formerly known as Square Enix Montreal. The predominantly mobile-focused development studio was acquired by The Embracer Group earlier this year. Now that the multi-studio deal is done, it seems that Square Enix Montreal has opted for a whole new vibe, rebranding itself as Studio Onoma.

Studio Onoma, as it will now be known, was acquired by the Swedish video game publishing giant The Embracer Group in May last year. The sale went through as part of a $300 million deal with Square Enix, which sold off the majority of its Western studios in the process. Alongside Studio Onoma, The Embracer Group also bought themselves Eidos-Montréal and Crystal Dynamics as part of the package and it seems that such big changes have called for a fresh start.

A new update on the official Studio Onoma website details the studio’s rationale behind the rebrand, as well as a more in-depth look at the process itself. According to the post, Studio Onoma’s rebrand process seems to have started almost immediately after the sale to The Embracer Group. The rebrand itself took five months, throughout which the team were able to redefine its vision and update its mission for what it wanted to share with the world. The post also explains a bit more about the concept of the ‘Onoma’ moniker, which the team clarify is “Greek for name and names offer endless possibilities.”

The update also confirms that a desire to grow with the times and adjust to changing trends in the gaming industry has been one of the driving factors behind its rebrand. It explains that “our strength has always been our ability to evolve and adapt to trends and market changes. Our rebrand as Studio Onoma is one more transformation that we are excited to take on.”

The studio was originally founded back in 2011 and is most famous for creating a variety of mobile games based on iconic gaming IPs. Some of its best-known titles include Hitman GO, Hitman Sniper, Lara Croft GO, Deus EX GO, and most recently, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows.

We’ll be keeping an eye on what comes next from Studio Onoma, as the future certainly looks bright for it as well as its fellow ex-Square Enix studio counterparts. Currently, Crystal Dynamics is said to be tapping into the community to test the strength of feeling towards its iconic Legacy Of Kain IP. In addition, Eidos-Montréal is said to be keen to get to work on a new lease of life for its much-loved Deus Ex franchise. It seems that there’s a lot more room for creative freedom for these studios now, so we’ll have to wait and see what comes next from each of them.

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