Legacy of Kain fans just had their hopes raised and crushed in the same breath. A new report confirms that Eidos Montreal was working on a dark fantasy action RPG designed to resurrect a classic vampire series, and insiders say it was in fact a Legacy of Kain reboot before being canceled a few years ago after the studio was acquired by Embracer Group. [web:333][web:330]
The project, known internally as P16, never made it to a public reveal, but it was far enough along to have a clear direction, internal codename, and about a year of development before the plug was pulled. [web:333]
What Was Eidos Montreal Actually Making?
The story surfaced when former Eidos Montreal developers updated their CVs and portfolios, listing work on an unannounced dark fantasy ARPG built around a well known vampire IP, focused on melee combat and parkour style traversal. [web:330][web:340]
This description immediately set off alarm bells in the Legacy of Kain community: a melee heavy, acrobatic vampire game from a studio that owns the series is a very specific combination. Insider sources later confirmed that this mystery project was indeed a soft reboot of Legacy of Kain, with the goal of modernizing the series for current hardware. [web:333][web:322]
How Far Did The Reboot Get?
According to Insider Gaming’s reporting, P16 ran for roughly a year before it was cancelled, which suggests it was beyond the pure concept stage but still early enough that no public material ever surfaced. [web:333]
The reboot is described as a fresh take rather than a direct continuation, likely reintroducing the world and core themes of Legacy of Kain for new players instead of picking up where the older games left off. [web:333][web:330]
Why Was It Canceled If It Looked Promising?
The short answer is restructuring and risk. After Embracer Group bought Eidos Montreal from Square Enix in 2022, the new owner began a long period of cost cutting, cancellations, and layoffs across its studios. [web:330][web:345]
Insider reports say the Legacy of Kain reboot was one of several internal Eidos projects quietly dropped after the acquisition, alongside a new Deus Ex game and other prototypes, as the studio was pushed toward safer work co developing external titles like Fable and Grounded 2 for Microsoft. [web:314][web:332][web:338][web:339][web:340]
Inside Project P16: What We Can Infer
While there is no public footage, the description of P16 as a third person melee focused ARPG with parkour elements lines up neatly with what many fans imagined a modern Nosgoth game would look like: fast movement, vertical layouts, and brutal close combat in a gothic setting. [web:330][web:333]
The reboot was reportedly pitched as a way to revive a cult series that had just seen successful remasters, which showed there was still an audience for Legacy of Kain despite its long absence from the spotlight. [web:322][web:330]
Eidos Montreal’s New Reality
Today, Eidos Montreal is a very different studio from the one that built Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Guardians of the Galaxy. Multiple reports describe it as operating primarily as a support team, helping other developers ship their games rather than leading its own big IPs. [web:338][web:341][web:343]
Recent months have brought several waves of layoffs, and sources say most of the studio’s original internal projects have been canceled, including the Legacy of Kain reboot and the new Deus Ex, as Embracer focuses on safer, externally funded work. [web:332][web:335][web:342][web:344]
What Does This Mean For Legacy Of Kain?
The one glimmer of hope in all this is that the IP itself is not dead. When Embracer stopped the reboot, the rights for Legacy of Kain reportedly moved back under Crystal Dynamics, which is also part of the same holding group. [web:333][web:330]
With the reboot gone and Eidos reshaped into a support studio, any future attempt to revive Legacy of Kain will likely have to come from Crystal Dynamics or another partner willing to take a risk on a story driven, vampire focused action RPG in a market dominated by service games. [web:330][web:338]
FAQs
1. Was a new Legacy of Kain game really in development?
Yes. Multiple former Eidos Montreal staff listed a dark fantasy ARPG based on a famous vampire IP on their CVs, and insiders later confirmed it was a Legacy of Kain reboot known internally as P16. [web:330][web:333]
2. How long was the reboot in development?
Insider reports suggest the project ran for roughly a year before Embracer canceled it, which likely put it in early to mid pre production rather than full production. [web:333]
3. Why did Embracer cancel the game?
The cancellation appears tied to wider restructuring and cost cutting at Embracer, which has shut down or scaled back many projects viewed as risky, while shifting Eidos Montreal into a support role on external franchises like Fable and Grounded 2. [web:330][web:338][web:345]
4. Is Eidos Montreal still making its own games?
At the moment, reports indicate most of its internally led projects, including a new Deus Ex and the Legacy of Kain reboot, have been scrapped, with the studio mainly assisting on other companies’ titles instead. [web:314][web:331][web:332]
5. Could another Legacy of Kain reboot still happen?
It is possible but uncertain. The IP has reportedly been handed back to Crystal Dynamics, and recent remaster success shows there is still interest, but a new big budget single player vampire RPG would need a publisher willing to take that financial risk. [web:322][web:333]
6. Does this affect the announced Deus Ex remaster?
No. Current reporting suggests the cancellations only hit new projects, while a Deus Ex remaster planned for 2026 is still in the works, likely because it is cheaper and lower risk than a completely new entry. [web:331][web:335]
Conclusion
The idea of a modern Legacy of Kain built by the team behind Deus Ex sounded almost too good to be true, and for now, it is. Eidos Montreal’s canceled reboot is another casualty of a harsh business cycle where cult favorites and ambitious single player projects are often the first to go when budgets tighten. [web:330][web:343]
Still, the fact that P16 existed at all proves that there are people inside major studios who want to bring Nosgoth back. If the remasters keep performing and enough players keep asking for it, this canceled reboot might eventually be remembered not as the end of Legacy of Kain, but as the false start before a future return. [web:322][web:330]