Montreal Archives

AppWizard

August 8, 2025

Microsoft halts work on Avalanche’s Contraband

Microsoft has halted development on Avalanche Studios' game, Contraband, which was originally unveiled in 2021. After five years of development, the project is now "on hold," and Avalanche Studios has confirmed that active development has stopped while they evaluate the project's future. This decision reflects broader challenges within Microsoft's Xbox division, which has experienced layoffs, project cancellations, and studio closures, including Avalanche Studios shutting down its locations in New York and Montreal in 2024.

AppWizard

August 2, 2025

I embarked on a mission to answer the most important question in PC gaming: How tall is Garrett from Thief?

Garrett, the protagonist from the Thief series, is confirmed to be 6 feet tall in the original Thief game, according to Romain Barrilliot, a level designer at Arkane Studios. The 5'5" measurement refers to Garrett from Eidos Montreal's 2014 reboot. Barrilliot also noted that the Garrett model from Thief 2 appears to be approximately 6'5.3". The discrepancies in height perception arise from the game's design and character comparisons with other games.

AppWizard

July 29, 2025

Grounded 2, even in early access, is one of the best survival games I’ve ever played

Grounded 2, developed by Obsidian in collaboration with Eidos Montreal, launched in early access on July 29. The game features a vast first area comparable in size to the original game, but it has performance issues, with limited graphics settings and frame rate challenges even on high-end systems. The game retains a colorful cartoon aesthetic while improving lighting and textures. New mechanics include the ability to befriend bugs that serve as mounts and allies, enhancing exploration and combat dynamics. The introduction of the Omni-Tool simplifies resource gathering. Grounded 2 encourages exploration and adventure, with quests from human characters and a mysterious hacker element. The combat system has evolved with new mechanics and a variety of new creatures, while familiar foes have revamped designs. Despite some bugs during gameplay, the overall experience is enjoyable.

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

I’ve spent six hours exploring the Steam Summer Sale with our Games Editor, and these are the 10 best games on discount I’d recommend so far

The Steam Summer Sale is currently ongoing, offering discounts for a limited 14-day period. Notable titles include: - Grounded: Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, priced at .99 / £17.49, currently at a 50% discount. - Cult of the Lamb: Developed by Massive Monster, priced at .49 / £9.74, currently at its lowest price. - Disco Elysium - The Final Cut: Developed by ZA/UM, priced at .99 / £3.49, currently at a 90% discount. - Cyberpunk 2077: Developed by CD Projekt Red, priced at .99 / £17.49, now at a historical low. - Little Nightmares 2: Developed by Tarsier Studios, priced at .99 / £2.49, now at a historically low price. - Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy: Developed by Vicarious Visions, priced at .99 / £3.49. - Thank Goodness You're Here!: Developed by Coal Supper, priced at .99 / £10.39, with the largest reduction yet. - Borderlands 3: Developed by Gearbox Software, priced at .99 / £2.49. - Guardians of the Galaxy: Developed by Eidos-Montreal, priced at .99 / £5.04, now at a new low price. - Dead Space: Developed by EA Motive, priced at .99 / £9.99, now at a historic low. Honorable mentions include Control Ultimate Edition, Forza Horizon 5, Elden Ring, Blasphemous, REPO, Undertale, Resident Evil 4, Stardew Valley, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Helldivers 2.

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

Report: Don’t Nod is making layoffs

Don't Nod, a French video game developer, has initiated a series of layoffs, primarily affecting its Montreal office, as indicated by employee posts on LinkedIn. Senior game designer Mathieu Tremblay expressed disappointment over being part of the layoffs and reflected on the team's accomplishments with their recent title, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. The exact number of employees affected by the layoffs is unclear.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

“Deus Ex” just turned 25 years old and it’s still the best PC game of all time — you only need $2 to play it on practically anything

Deus Ex, released in 2000 by Ion Storm, is widely regarded as one of the most influential PC games and a pinnacle of immersive simulations. The franchise has evolved with entries like Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, developed by Eidos-Montreal. The original game, directed by Warren Spector, combined first-person action with RPG elements, allowing players to choose various playstyles. Modern players can access Deus Ex on contemporary Windows systems, using keyboard and mouse or controllers, including handheld devices like the ASUS ROG Ally and Steam Deck, which runs the game through Proton emulation. Despite its outdated graphics and AI, Deus Ex offers a richly layered adventure in a cyberpunk dystopia, appealing to both newcomers and veterans.

AppWizard

June 17, 2025

That Prince of Persia remake is “deep” in development

Ubisoft has confirmed that the remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is currently "deep" in development. The project was initially announced at E3 2020 with a planned release date of January 2021, but it has faced several delays. The game was originally developed by Ubisoft's Pune and Mumbai studios in India, with the release pushed to March and then to the 2022/23 financial year. In May 2022, Ubisoft's Montreal studio took over development, and the release is now slated for 2026. Additionally, Ubisoft is developing a spinoff titled The Rogue Prince of Persia by Evil Empire, the studio behind Dead Cells.

AppWizard

June 11, 2025

Phil Rogers is Embracer Group’s next CEO

Phil Rogers will become the CEO of Embracer Group on August 1st, succeeding Lars Wingefors, who will transition to executive chair of the board in September. Rogers joined Embracer in 2022 and previously served as deputy CEO, leading Crystal Dynamics and Plaion. Kicki Wallje-Lund will take on the role of deputy chair. This leadership change follows the recent announcement of the spin-off of Coffee Stain into an independent entity.

AppWizard

May 16, 2025

Jade Raymond departs Haven Studios

Jade Raymond has left Haven Studios, the company she co-founded in 2021, as it prepares for an external beta of its first project, Fairgames. Haven Studios was established after the collapse of Google Stadia and was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2022. The studio will continue operations under co-heads Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski. A PlayStation representative acknowledged Raymond's contributions and leadership. Fairgames represents a shift for PlayStation towards live-service projects, amidst challenges including the cancellation of two live-service games and the withdrawal of Concord from sale.

Winsage

April 9, 2025

Microsoft: Windows CLFS zero-day exploited by ransomware gang

Microsoft reported that the RansomEXX ransomware gang has been exploiting a critical zero-day vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System, identified as CVE-2025-29824, allowing them to gain SYSTEM privileges on targeted systems. This vulnerability stems from a use-after-free flaw and affects organizations in various sectors, including IT and real estate in the US, financial institutions in Venezuela, a Spanish software company, and the retail sector in Saudi Arabia. Microsoft has released security updates for most affected Windows versions but has postponed patches for Windows 10 x64 and 32-bit systems. Customers running Windows 11, version 24H2, are not vulnerable to the exploitation. The RansomEXX group, also known as Storm-2460, uses the PipeMagic backdoor malware to facilitate the exploitation of CVE-2025-29824, alongside ransomware payloads. The group has targeted high-profile organizations, including GIGABYTE, Konica Minolta, the Texas Department of Transportation, Brazil's court system, Montreal's STM public transport system, and government software provider Tyler Technologies.