Square Enix explains why it wants Eidos

by Justin McElroy { Feb 16th 2009 at 10:30AM }

Like a middle-aged woman who spends half of Feb. 15 explaining to her mother why a new toilet brush and a night of darts is as much a Valentine's Day as she can expect from Lyle, Square Enix has gone on the record with the precise reasons it has an interest in buying struggling publisher Eidos. In addition to the dev houses included in the deal, the company has its eye on Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Kane & Lynch.

Meanwhile, and surprising no one, 20-percent Eidos shareholder Warner Bros.* says it's putting its support behind the deal and honestly, it's kind of hard to blame it.

*Did you know Time Warner is our parent company? Well, now you do.

Source -- Warner backs Square Enix's bid for Eidos
Source -- Square Enix Cites "Major" Eidos Franchises

Tags: deus-ex, eidos, hitman, kane-and-lynch, square-enix, tomb-raider, warner, warner-bros

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Linkario @ Feb 16th 2009 10:35AM

DON'T TALK SHYTE ABOUT LYLE! HE'S A GOOD MAN

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Feb 16th 2009 11:12AM

Baby, I'm sorry. Next year I'll get you a brand new toilet.

Lyle

John Z @ Feb 16th 2009 10:45AM

Nice pic.

I can't blame SE either... those are pretty reliable franchises in terms of money (if not quality gameplay; personally I can't stand any of the Tomb Raider games but there's no denying that people buy them).

Lennoko @ Feb 16th 2009 10:47AM

Hitman:The RPG.

Rambeaux @ Feb 16th 2009 10:55AM

Fight
Defend
Garrote and Steal Clothes
Item
Run Away

Rocketboy @ Feb 16th 2009 11:23AM

Lock Target
Bait Line
Spread Net
Catch Man

Strategy_Panda @ Feb 16th 2009 12:53PM

uggh

mongoos32 @ Feb 16th 2009 12:59PM

Oh, you mean Fallout 3 with a different setting and plot?

Popfrogs @ Feb 16th 2009 5:17PM

Rocketboy wins for the Front 242 reference.

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Feb 16th 2009 6:09PM

Rocketboy has taste?
Amazing.

Rocketboy @ Feb 16th 2009 11:37PM

I had taste before you knew what taste was you whipper snappers...

(+1 for everyone who got it... yougins..)

Dalrint @ Feb 16th 2009 10:56AM

I wonder if Squenix getting their hands on Tomb Raider means yet another franchise reboot?

I hope not...I kind of like it this time...

Jason @ Feb 16th 2009 11:08AM

Hopefully this means better quality games for those franchises. Time Warner will probably not be your parent company if they have there way, omg joystiq could end up being part of MS.

Comtar @ Feb 16th 2009 11:51AM

Agent 47, JC Denton, and Lara Croft in Kingdom Hearts 3 confirmed.

Fluorescent Octopus @ Feb 16th 2009 11:12AM

@Joystiq

So by tenous connection, you sort of vaguely might own some of Eidos?

That means us commenters get to decide what games to make right?

I know how business works...

John Z @ Feb 16th 2009 11:16AM

No, it's more like Joystiq and Eidos are stepsiblings who snipe and attack each other.

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Feb 16th 2009 11:16AM

I think Hitman and Kayne & Lynch could really benefit from this

sam @ Feb 16th 2009 2:02PM

Why's that? SE haven't announced that they're cancelling the franchises...

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Feb 16th 2009 2:44PM

I know they havent. I'm saying that SE has more resources and can really help add to those franchises

Dr Jeckyl and Mr ESC. @ Feb 16th 2009 11:25AM

SE making the next Hitman,Dear God Why?!

The next hitman is proably going to be a direct sequel to FFXIII Versus.Looking foward to the Emo Hitman and his annoying as hell Female,Fairy or Animal companion.

Yet Tomb Raider and Kayne & Lynch could use this.

Negativecool @ Feb 16th 2009 11:27AM

Business n00b here.

Can anyone explain to me why any successful company would ever want to purchase an unsuccessful company on the verge of going belly up? Buying the company will hurt its bottom line, building it back up will REALLY hurt its bottom line...I just don't see how this purchase is a good idea.

I know Eidos USED to be successful...but jeez. I just don't get it.

HitNRun @ Feb 16th 2009 11:50AM

I happen to think it's stupid in many lines of business as well... *however* in the games industry, buying another company means getting a number of important things, like ALL that company's properties and contracts, as well as first-bid on their employees.

So Square will own Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and, uh...whatever else it is that Eidos publishes

HitNRun @ Feb 16th 2009 11:54AM

Also! Purchasing that company on the verge of going belly-up means you get them on the cheap. Because Eidos' stock price has fallen so low, SE can blow everyone's socks off by offering the shareholders (including Warner) more than double what their shares are worth...and it's not even that much money.

If they were bidding for a healthy Eidos, it would be almost impossible for SE to scrounge up that much dough.

Strategy_Panda @ Feb 16th 2009 12:56PM

HitNRun's second post is probably closer to whats actually going on.

By buying Eidos, Square will also get developers who have a lot of experience producing Western Games. No need to take a chance on new talent or train new people. And, as mentioned before, they get a lot of famous IP

PojoMofo @ Feb 16th 2009 12:34PM

so that means Joystiq and Eidos would be under the same umbrella....

Kane and Lynch 2 = Justin and Ludwig??
Chris Grant the new Hitman (they both have the same amount of hair)

God I wish I knew Photoshop

Tiptup300 @ Feb 16th 2009 12:41PM

Anyone else miss Gex?

Booxatron @ Feb 16th 2009 3:13PM

YES

Eh @ Feb 16th 2009 1:59PM

Just what we need, Deus Ex on cellphones.

Deck @ Feb 16th 2009 2:32PM

Its nice the mention Deus Ex. Though many don't know just how great it was, it was a truly great game in its prime.

Though I do have to say.. its a bit strange to see Square Enix buying these titles. They don't fit their normal repertoire, but then again there is always a time to move forward!