Eidos Montreal, the renowned game developer behind 2021’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, is seemingly working on a new IP, blending elements from both Tomb Raider and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Dungeon crawling is pretty close to grave robbery, after all – but this just may be a catch-all description of modern open world titles.
This intriguing and somewhat surprising revelation comes from a series of job postings and leaks that have surfaced online, courtesy of Reddit user u/RichardAYBuck. The upcoming title from the Canadian developer appears to be a delightful mix of the adventurous spirit of Tomb Raider and the expansive open-world charm of Breath of the Wild.
Based on analysis of these job listings, the game is expected to be set against either an ancient historical or post-apocalyptic backdrop. One of the job listings hints at the design and creation of various villages and inhabited areas, teeming with NPCs and player interactions.
Additionally, the game’s structure seems to be aiming for an open-world format, as indicated by the emphasis on designing, you guessed it, open-world missions. Unless the info proves to be false, or there simply is a change during development, we’ll probably be looking at gameplay that mixes parkour and exploration in between combat.
The new IP will allegedly feature some complex puzzles to bring some variety to the gameplay loop, but this is also pretty standard fare for sandbox games. While a lot of open worlds draw criticism for being bland or very samey, the job listings specifically mention “diverse ecosystems” so hopefully we’ll be avoiding that this time around.
With the limited information we have, the narrative of the new IP seems to be a significant focus, with all kinds of buzzwords being tossed around like dialogue, cinematic scenes, scripted events, and what the listing describes as “exotic moments.” These could range from leisurely strolls and conversations with AI companions to exhilarating action sequences.
Thus far, if you’re thinking this sounds awfully generic, we can’t blame you – but we also cannot expect job listings to spill all the beans on an unannounced IP. That said, the gaming community has already latched onto the new and begun to speculate – online reactions to a fusion of Tomb Raider and Breath of the Wild have been mostly positive.
Nintendo’s Zelda titles have had a profound influence on the gaming industry with their open-world design, puzzle mechanics, and emphasis on exploration. It’s a template that has proven highly successful, and Eidos Montreal seems to be taking notes. The combination of these two titles could be a match made in heaven!
Unsurprisingly, the gaming community’s heart seems to be set on something else. Many fans are still holding out hope for a new installment in the Deus Ex series. Earlier speculations, fueled by another job listing, hinted at the possibility of a new Deus Ex game in development – but recent revelations, including comments from the voice actor of Adam Jensen’s character, have dampened those hopes.
Though any official details of this new project remain under wraps, the glimpses we’ve gotten so far are promising. Jason Schreier was the first to reveal that Eidos Montreal was working on a new IP, and all we have to confirm this are the breadcrumbs from the job postings. Hopefully, we’ll hear something soon about this exciting project.
