We've heard very little out of Eidos-Montreal since being acquired by Embracer. The studio has been attempting to get a new Deus Ex game off the ground for several years but has struggled to obtain the greenlight from their new corporate overlords.
Just this week, Eidos-Montreal announced a round of layoffs, letting go of around 75 employees. This has naturally had fans asking – what is going on over there? According to Insider Gaming, they are still trying to get a new Deus Ex game greenlit.
The layoffs announced this week come after the cancellation of two different pitches for a new Deus Ex game. According to sources familiar with the matter, Eidos-Montreal is not giving up on Deus Ex though, as they have another pitch for a new game doing the rounds.
It is claimed that Eidos-Montreal has been pitching external partners and publishers on its new Deus Ex game, making it clear that Embracer Group is not interested in funding the project itself. This lines up with other moves from Embracer recently, such as signing on Amazon Games to publish the next Tomb Raider game, despite Embracer Group itself being a publisher and the owner of the Tomb Raider IP. It would seem that if another Deus Ex game was to be made, Eidos would need a similar deal to Crystal Dynamics, with an external publisher stepping in to help out.
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KitGuru Says: Deus Ex is a storied franchise and despite what Square Enix says, Human Revolution and Mankind Divided both did sell quite well. The series might not break any records, or promise long-term revenue in the style of a live-service game, but there is a massive gap in the market right now for Immersive Sims and with Cyberpunk 2 many years away, now would be a perfect time to fill that gap with a new Deus Ex title.