Rumours have been rampant since Eidos announced last spring that it was coming to Canada, specifically la belle province, so when I was invited to the new studio’s grand opening, I quickly dropped my controller to go investigate (and hey, what girl doesn’t enjoy a good party, right?)

And what a party it was! EIDOS-MONTREAL really celebrated its opening in style. Champagne, hors-d’oeuvres, and Montreal’s gaming industry bigwigs – it was quite the swanky affair. And they finally revealed that this brand new team is currently completing the conception phase of Deus Ex 3 with a rather impressive game trailer (you can find it here).

Montreal is now truly a major development hub for games. Eidos is the third major worldwide developer to choose the city!  I had the chance to quickly chat with the new head of the studio Stéphane D’Astous (formerly of Ubisoft fame).

Jade:So Stéphane, what’s in store for EIDOS-MONTREAL?

Stéphane D’Astous: Today is very special for us, and the beginning of a great studio. We have amazing talent, and want to offer them the chance to work on meaningful projects – only AAA next-gen  titles – but at the same time, giving them a great work environment. We’re seeing reasonably sized teams, and extended development cycles. Other studios crowd projects and crunch deadlines to get games out – that’s not who we are.

J: And after months of rumours, you guys finally confirmed that you’re working on Deus Ex 3. How cool is that?

S: We’ve kept the suspense for a while, so we’re thrilled to finally be able to say it. Deus Ex is one of the most successful PC franchises, so it’s quite an honour to get to work on such a project, and I am confident we’ll live up to it.

J: So you introduced your team today, but are you still hiring?

S: Absolutely! We’re still looking to hire some 30 developers by end of 2007 – and will continue to do so as our plan is to grow to 350 employees by end of 2009. If you work in gaming, you might want to check out our new website, www.eidosmontreal.com. You’ll find job openings, employee testimonials, all sorts of info, and a forum on Deus Ex 3 where you can tell us what you want out of the game.

So with that, your favourite Xbox Canada Insider got a personal tour of the studio. It’s a bright and spacious place with windows for walls. I got to visit the quality assurance department, where they test games from Eidos studios from over the world, and stopped to say “hi” to the the studio’s unofficial mascot: a punching bag in the middle of the room. And I snuck a peek at some of the artwork posted on the walls ... it looks awesome! I just can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.