Deus Ex (2000) is an iconic PC game and (along with System Shock and Thief) is responsible for founding the underrated immersive sim genre.
The original was followed by the less popular Deus Ex: Invisible War in 2003, before Eidos-Montréal revived the series after an 8-year hiatus with Human Revolution in 2011. The duology was completed in 2016 with Mankind Divided, and the series has been dormant since, save for the original controversial Rema Media.
In a world where new intellectual property is considered too risky by many publishers, it's strange that a series named Deus Ex hasn't been dusted off for a reboot in 2020. The reason? Well, according to Elias Toufexis – the actor behind Human Revolution/Mankind Divided protagonist Adam Jensen – it's because the licensees are “psychopaths” (thanks, FRVR).
No Love Lost For Embracer Group
This happened when Toufexis posted a preview of the projects he would be appearing in in 2026. The image showed Bungie's Marathon and three projects currently under NDA, leading one responder to speculate that Toufexis could appear in the new Deus Ex. The actor's reaction was emphatic.
“… no Deux Ex because the people responsible are psychopaths,” the actor wrote. Eidos-Montréal owns Deus Ex, and the studio is owned by the mega-holding company Embracer Group. The latter is controversial in the industry for fast-buying studios, implementing cost-cutting measures and producing very little final product despite the resources available to the company.
A rating of the surprisingly few Deus Ex games that exist
You can carry immersive sims on very small backs.
Between 2002 and 2004, a new Deus Ex project was in development at Eidos-Montréal, although Toufexis (and subsequently Adam Jensen) were not involved. This project was eventually canceled by Embracer, resulting in 172 people being laid off from the studio in the following months.
In a 2024 Reddit post, Toufexis provided his outside perspective on the canceled project, writing: “I'm relatively certain that the game that was canceled wasn't Adam Jensen's story, so the cancellation angers me more than anything because my friends at Eidos got fired. Video game companies are in a weird place right now. I hope it gets fixed.”
The layoffs likely contributed to Toufexis' feelings toward Embracer, and he's not alone in holding a grudge against the company.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- Released
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August 23, 2011
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Drug References, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Alcohol Use
- Developers
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Eidos Montreal
- Engine
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Crystal engine
