The Deus Ex franchise, known for its rich cyberpunk setting, narrative depth, and emphasis on player agency, currently finds itself in a state of uncertainty. Eidos Montreal has reportedly been actively trying to revive the series with fresh concepts, yet securing a publisher to support the project has proven to be a major hurdle.
Industry insiders suggest that publishers view the IP as too niche and financially risky in today’s hyper-competitive, risk-averse gaming landscape. Despite the studio’s passion and innovation, reluctance from potential backers continues to stall progress, leaving long-time fans anxiously waiting for a return that remains uncertain.
The Pitch That Won’t Land
Insider Gaming reports that Eidos Montreal has “regularly” pitched a Deus Ex game since the project was last canceled by the Embracer Group sometime during the restructuring period of early 2024. The new title is said to be pitched alongside another project previously proposed, aimed at giving the series a fresh shot at life without the burden of past canceled projects trailing it.
However, this newfound energy has been met with resistance from publishers unwilling to take a risk on a title they think carries negative prospects for return on investment. The foremost concern? The franchise is seen as “too niche” for the current gaming world. With the industry currently in its most risk-averse mode, securing budgets for a franchise that trails its mainstream appeal sounds simply uninviting. Some publishers have flatly rejected even the notion of putting resources into something they have no conviction will see a return.
Is It Really Too Niche?
Needless to say, the publishers’ reluctance must be grating for Deus Ex fans. The series has catered to players looking for smart, choice-driven gameplay and cyberpunk intrigue, while the more general industry seems unsure if that would translate into relevance today.
What adds another dimension to matters is that sources report that while Eidos Montreal has its proposal filled with new ideas, it deviates from what audiences expect Deus Ex to be. Although details of these divergences remain scarce, the divergence may also be an explanation for why publishers are disinclined to back this particular project, if it steers too far from the identity its fans associate with the franchise.
A Decade Without Jensen
The last major installment in the series came almost ten years ago in 2016 with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Although the game was praised for its player agency, rich narrative, and cyberpunk environment, since post-launch downloadable content, the game series has been relatively silent. Any fans with hopes of a comeback must prepare for disappointments; the possibility of a state-of-the-art Deus Ex ever surfacing is still very much in the air. On the other hand, with publishers seemingly preferring to play it safe with low-risk investments, each passing year pushes the limits of the IP revival further away.
A Flicker of Hope?
There exists this slight silver lining: Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal had formerly announced plans for five AAA titles in total, to be released between them by March 31, 2028. Even though the termination of the previous Deus Ex project and the struggle to fund it do not look too encouraging, we could always hope that something might change.
For now, however, Mankind Divided is likely to remain the last chapter in the series for many years to come. Fans can only hope that, somehow, a publisher will see the merit in reviving this iconic cyberpunk RPG, especially in such a time when AI, transhumanism, and corporate conspiracies have never felt so relevant.
