Deus Ex

A new report from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier suggests an unannounced Deus Ex game at Eidos Montreal has now been cancelled by the Embracer Group. The RPG title had reportedly been in the works for two years and was set to enter production later in 2024, but developer Eidos Montreal has had to scrap those plans and shift its focus instead to an "original franchise". As a result, it's been confirmed that Embracer Group has laid off 97 staff members at the studio.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the Eidos Montreal account said: "The global economic context, the challenges of our industry and the comprehensive restructuring 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." The developer is now working with those who have lost their jobs to "find their next projects" as it offers support to "all impacted personnel through this transition". You can read the full statement below.

There had been suggestions a new Deus Ex game had entered development back in 2022, which now appear to have been true. The series hasn't been seen since 2016's PS4 entry Mankind Divided. A well-loved franchise, it'll be disappointing news for fans hoping Adam Jensen would return in the next couple of years.

This is just the latest cut made by publisher Embracer Group, which has downsized considerably over the past 12 months after a reported $2 billion deal with a Saudi Arabian company fell through. TimeSplitters studio Free Radical was recently closed, Tomb Raider team Crystal Dynamics downsized after a round of layoffs, and Volition shuttered after launching the latest Saints Row game. The news comes after Microsoft and Activision jointly let go of 1,900 employees, meaning close to 6,000 video game developers have lost their jobs since the start of the year.

[source bloomberg.com, via twitter.com]