Square Enix’s Tokyo developers are to work on the cinematics for Eidos Montreal’s upcoming Deus Ex sequel, the studio’s general manager Stephane D’Astous told us.

"Deus Ex 3 is going to be the first project which will be a concrete product of joint effort between Square Enix and Eidos," said D’Astous. "The cinematics—by which I mean any CGI pre-rendered cinematics — are going to be done in Tokyo by Square Enix, and that’s going to be amazing."

Explaining the background for this announcement, D’Astous said, "It was in April when Square Enix acquired us, and by June, July I was trying to think of a project we could do together. One morning I woke up and I said, we’ll, they’re known for their cinematics, so why not get them involved with those?"

Outsourcing firm Babel says it’s hired Toshiyuki Nagai to head its business development efforts in Japan.

Now owned by India-based firm Quattro BPO Solutions, Babel also has offices in Brighton, New Delhi, Montreal, and Los Angeles. Its Montreal branch is its most recent addition, opening in September 2005, and recently saw a significant expansion.

Now, Nagai will lead the company’s efforts to grow in Japan. He has worked with companies including Eidos and Electronic Arts, and was most recently GM of Genius Sonority.

"I am delighted Toshiyuki could join us," says sales and marketing VP Keith Russell. "His wealth of knowledge of the Japanese market, his contacts within the industry as well as within all our existing clients means he brings considerable advantage to the team, and I am confident he will help us grow our business in Japan."