January 30th 2024.
It's a sad day for fans of the Deus Ex franchise as news has emerged that many of its creators are now facing job losses. The Embracer Group, which owns Eidos-Montréal, has confirmed that 97 employees from the studio will be laid off as the company shifts its focus away from Deus Ex.
While Xbox has been making headlines for laying off 1,900 game developers, the Embracer Group has also been making cuts and shutting down studios since a funding deal fell through in 2022. This has shed light on the risky business practices of Embracer, who have been acquiring developers without a clear plan for their future. This has already resulted in the closure of Free Radical Design, the studio behind TimeSplitters.
Now, another major victim has emerged in the form of Eidos-Montréal, the studio behind Guardians of the Galaxy. It's rumored that they have been working on a new Deus Ex game for the past two years, but unfortunately, that project will not see the light of day. This restructuring will affect around 20% of the studio's workforce, including members of development teams, administration, and support services.
The studio released a statement on Twitter acknowledging the job losses and assuring fans that their commitment to creating great games remains unchanged. However, the statement did not mention the fate of the rumored new Deus Ex game. According to a Bloomberg report, the game was supposed to enter full production this year, but it seems that is no longer the case.
Eidos-Montréal was sold by Square Enix in 2022, sparking rumors of a new Deus Ex game. However, neither Eidos-Montréal nor their sister studio Crystal Dynamics have released anything new since the acquisition. While Eidos-Montréal has been rumored to be helping out with the new Fable game for Xbox, the Bloomberg report suggests that they will now focus on creating an original franchise.
This leaves the fate of Deus Ex uncertain, as the series has never been quite successful enough to guarantee regular sequels. The most recent release was a mobile game in 2016, with the last mainline entry being Mankind Divided. Fans of the series will have to wait and see if there will be any future installments.
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