Eidos to open Montreal studio

British publisher Eidos has announced plans to open a new development studio in Montreal which will work on as yet undisclosed next-generation games.

Taking on the role of general manager will be Stîphane D'Astous, whose first task will be to recruit a new team for the studio.

The move is part of Eidos's wider expansion strategy which has seen the publisher open two more studios in the past 12 months - one in Sweden and one in Hungary. The company also has internal studios Crystal Dynamics, IO Interactive, Pivotal Games and Beautiful Game.

"This is a really exciting time for Eidos. We are actively looking for opportunities to further our drive to become a major force in global videogames publishing," said commercial director Bill Ennis.

"Montreal is the ideal location to open a new studio because of its thriving game development community and favourable economics."

The Quebec Government has an extensive support programme for games companies in a bid to attract new investment and promote the growth of the existing industry. Earlier this month, Ubisoft received a multi-million dollar grant to fund the expansion of its Montreal office and the establishment of a new digital design studio.

According to the Quebec minister of economic development, innovation and exports, Raymond Bachand, "Our talented workers, competitive operating costs and the support of our government have enabled Quebec to become the sector leader in Canada and attract industry's major players, like Eidos."