After 2016’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided left the story of Adam Jensen on a cliffhanger, fans of the cyberpunk franchise have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter of the story, or at least a new entry in the long-running RPG series.
Today, areport from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreieremerged that the Swedish gaming company Embracer Group, which owns Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal among many other studios, has canceled a new Deus Ex project, laying off 97 staff members in the process. Per Schreier, the new title had already undergone two years of development, and was scheduled to properly enter production later this year prior to this announcement. This is the latest in a string of layoffs by Embracer, which recently shut down TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design andSaints Row developer Volition, raising questions about what encouraged Embracer to go on such a buying spree of developers in the first place.
On the bright side, Eidos Montreal will instead be shifting their focus to an original franchise, with the hopes that their narrative prowess as shown off in Deus Ex and 2021’s Guardians of the Galaxy game will still be able to shine in a new IP. Shortly after the Bloomberg report was put out, the developer released a statement on theirofficial Twitter account, which can be seen below.
“For the last 17 years, our teams at Eidos have worked on some of the most beloved brands in the industry, combining deep storytelling and innovation into unique games. We have created memorable multi-awarded experiences that we are proud of, and we know our team members have put their heart and soul in all of them.The global economic context, the challenges of our industry and the comprehensive restructuring announced by Embracer have finally impacted our studio. The difficult decision has been made to let go 97 people from development teams, administration, and support services.We are working to support all impacted personnel through this transition. These very talented, highly experienced people are entering the employment market, and we want them to find their next projects and are helping to do so.As we navigate these difficult times, the well-being of our team is our priority and the continuous commitment to creating games that players will be able to enjoy.”
Review: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Despite being a successor to Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided somehow ends up feeling more like a predecessor. Discover why in our review.
