Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. This axiom has certainly proven true in the long and complicated history of MICROÏDS, as today marks the official re-launch of the MICROÏDS brand.

Originally founded as a development studio for interactive multimedia programs in 1984 and expanding to a games publisher and producer in 1995, MICROÏDS merged with Wanadoo Edition into a new company called MC2 in 2003. Two years later, the game studio known as Microïds Canada, responsible for such popular adventures as Syberia and Still Life, was disbanded in a partial acquisition by Ubisoft.

Not much had been heard from MC2 until recently, when the company first revealed its plans to begin publishing games again. The first titles announced were Sinking Island, Nostradamus, and Dracula 3, due for release in North America in early 2008. Since then, the company has revamped the official website, and has at last officially re-launched the MICROÏDS label.

The new-but-familiar brand will be headed by the founders of Index+, another longtime development and production company once absorbed into Wanadoo Edition before the merger into MC2. Under the guidance of Emmanuel Olivier, the aim of the new label will be to focus on "collaborating and integrating on an international level — with the goal of designing interactive games reflective of the francophone culture." With offices in both Canada and France, all new productions will be associated with either MICROÏDS Montreal or MICROÏDS Paris.

While there is no indication that MICROÏDS plans to solely develop its own original content, the return to prominence of a such an important genre contributor is welcome news in its own right, and it looks like MICROÏDS will clearly be a company to keep an eye on in the coming months.