Onoma, the Greek word for “name,” symbolizes the limitless potential that is within the hands of players. Onoma was chosen from a pool of 165 names by the Square Enix Montreal team, with the primary criterion being that it should easily be pronounceable in both English and French. Studio Onoma has been previously rumored to be the brand name for a new western studio after Final Fantasy developer Square Enix submitted a trademark application for the name in August. In an effort to broaden its appeal and better serve its customers, the company changed its name. The company behind Lara Croft Go has characterized the brand shift as the beginning of a new chapter, and it has revealed plans to launch a variety of new products, services, and projects, all of which will have their own identities and approaches to the market. However, this isn’t the only thing that will be different now that Embracer has bought the three studios for $300 million; the company plans to create new “sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin-offs” of titles like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief from their back catalog. There was a slew of major releases from Square Enix in March of 2022, including the live-service action game Babylon’s Fall, the strategy RPG Triangle Strategy, the racing game Chocobo GP, a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series, and the action RPG Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy, developed in conjunction with Koei Tecmo. It would be fascinating to watch how the company reacts now that they have more games under their belt.
