Eidos Montreal Stuck In Limbo With The Deus Ex Franchise

Deus Ex—the respected game series with deep, thought-provoking narratives, that super cool cyberpunk feel, and gameplay that enables you to solve problems any way you wish—has always been a big deal in the immersive sim RPG world. Stealthy sneaking or total activity, everything is well. But, yeah, regrettably, the series has been somewhat frozen for some time now.

Publishers in today's cutthroat gaming world are reluctant to describe the franchise as "too niche", so Eidos Montreal is trying to give their best effort to present new ideas. Stuck in limbo for years now, Deus Ex fans still have to pause as the studio is hit hard by layoffs and prior projects are put off, hoping someone will ultimately approve this beloved series.

Now, here's the thing: Eidos Montreal, the developer of the more recent Deus Ex games like Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, has been actively looking for publishers for the next Deus Ex game. So, the rumor that Eidos Montreal is giving up on the Deus Ex series isn’t correct at all; in fact, they have been trying to launch new Deus Ex initiatives.

Even though Eidos Interactive has published all four of the previous Deus Ex titles, Eidos Montreal is rumored to be offering suggestions to other publishers, hoping somebody will seize them. But so far, publishers' responses have been rather cold, as it seems nobody is eager to take the plunge. It happens for a couple of reasons. Some publishers first believed Deus Ex is now too "niche." In essence, they are concerned that the game isn't worth the expenditure because there are not many players who would purchase it.

Also, we can't fault them for being conservative; game budgets nowadays are completely crazy, and the competition is fierce. Plus, there's another problem: Eidos Montreal itself has been under strain. Several rounds of layoffs have been experienced in the last few years. Around the same time, a planned Deus Ex project was abandoned. Back in 2024, they cut 97 positions; earlier this year, in March, they cut 75 more jobs. And there hasn’t been any official announcement of whether they’re working with Crystal Dynamics for the upcoming Tomb Raider game.

Deus Ex is still obviously adored by the staff of Eidos Montreal, even with all of that disorder. Their enthusiasm for the project has not eroded. Their most recent pitch had some appeal and original ideas, in reality, but clearly, it was not quite up to the lofty expectations players have of a Deus Ex game. So maybe the idea was sound but not polished or daring enough to persuade publishers to gamble. For fans who have been hoping for a new addition to the series, it nevertheless represents a small spark of hope.

Fundamentally, the team is seeking permission to restore Deus Ex; they are waiting for someone who will allow them. Perhaps this is where companies like Tencent step in and back Eidos Montreal financially, as they did for Ubisoft. Until then, the game remains in this strange limbo: fans are definitely interested, but the business side of things keeps it down. Honestly, it's maddening. Though no one is willing to jump, you have a beloved series with lots of promise. Hopefully, something will change soon!