Square Enix was apparently fed up with its western studios after a $200 million loss over the recent Marvel-based games from Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal.
Regarding how popular Marvel's universe is right now, acquiring the rights from Disney to develop and publish a game based on this universe already seems like a profitable opportunity for publishers. However, this is exactly where Square Enix had to bear a huge loss.
- CHECK THIS OUT: PSP Yakuza Games Kurohyo Ryu Ga Gotoku Remakes Discussed
Even before the release of Marvel's Avengers, the community was not optimistic about Crystal Dynamic's new title. After its launch, the game soon turned into an epic failure for both the developer and publisher. The number of sales was too low that the project couldn't even return its development costs.
Embracer Group Has Already Asked Disney to Take Over Publishing Rights for Both Marvel's Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy from Square Enix
According to David Gibson, MST Financial analyst, and reported by Metro, Square Enix lost $200 million between Marvel's Avengers and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which was seemingly the last straw for Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal.
Despite such a loss, Embracer Group, the soon-to-be owner of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos, and SE Montreal, is still interested in both Marvel-based titles and has apparently sent a request to Disney to take over the publishing rights for both games, which is now in pending.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't seem to be an issue, but Marvel's Avengers has a roadmap of content and is supposed to receive more new updates in the future. If Embracer Group takes over the publishing rights for the game, it is unknown whether they would be willing to continue supporting the game.
That being said, Embracer Group already seems to be interested in giving the boycotted IPs of the acquired studios another chance to appear in the market with new iterations. Crystal Dynamics is currently working on the next entry of the Tomb Raider series.
On the other hand, Embracer Group spoke highly of the Deus Ex franchise during the latest investor's call, which could be a hint that Eidos might be able to revive the series again.