Thief 4 pushed to next-gen - Report

If the industry gossip section of the Official Xbox Magazine UK's latest issue proves accurate, Eidos Montreal's long-in-development kleptomania game Thief 4 will debut on next-generation consoles as early as next year. CVG's sources suggest this report is accurate.

According to the magazine, Thief 4 will be released sometime late next year, around the time the next Xbox is rumored to hit store shelves. Analysts believe new consoles from Microsoft and Sony will be available by holiday 2013.

As of press time, Square Enix had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.

In June, it appeared that development on Thief 4 was potentially in trouble when it was reported that widespread high-level turnover at Eidos Montreal had taken place. According to LinkedIn resumes, Thief 4's audio director, two lead level designers, a pair of senior concept artists, a senior technical level designer, a senior animator, and a senior level designer have all left Eidos Montreal since 2010.

Thief 4 was officially announced in 2009, with Eidos Montreal general manager Stephane D'Astous saying, "We're in the early stages for Thief 4," and noting that the shop was actively recruiting for the project. No official details on the game have come through since.