Square Enix Montreal rebrands as Studio Onoma

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The studio formerly known as Square Enix Montreal is now called Onoma, or Studio Onoma. Following its acquisition by Embracer — and departure from the Square Enix studio group — the mobile game developer is creating a new identity that will be “an umbrella to multiple products, programs, and initiatives.”

Embracer acquired Onoma from Square Enix, alongside Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, earlier this year. In August, Embracer called the studio the “soon to be renamed Square Enix Montreal.” According to Onoma’s account, the studio created an in-house rebrand squad to create the updated name and brand profile.

Onoma revealed in a behind-the-scenes document that this was one of 165 possible names the studio tested. The rebrand squad made brand books for the top 3 contenders, with “Onoma” being selected because it would “support a wide range of uses, experiences, and narratives.” The studio filed the trademark in August.

Studio Onoma was founded as Square Enix Montreal in 2011 as a traditional development studio. It transitioned to mobile development in 2013, developing games such as Lara Croft Go, Hitman Go and Hitman Sniper. Embracer acquired it, its sibling studios and several of their IP for $300 million.

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