New Deus Ex Game Reportedly Cancelled After Two Years of Development

An unannounced Deus Ex game was apparently in development, but it seems the project has now been cancelled. According to reporting from Bloomberg, Eidos-Montreal was two years into development on the game, but parent company Embracer Group cancelled it in favor of a new IP. According to Bloomberg's sources, the cancellation is part of a wider effort on Embracer's part to cut costs. Following Bloomberg's reporting, Eidos-Montreal confirmed on Twitter that 97 people will be laid off at the developer. Unfortunately, no additional information has been provided about the Deus Ex game or the new franchise the studio will be working on next. 

Video Game Industry Layoffs

The layoffs at Eidos-Montreal are the latest in what's become an unfortunate trend in the video game industry over the last year. Layoffs have been happening at a number of gaming companies including Epic Games, Bungie, and Microsoft. Embracer owned companies in particular have been devastated by layoffs over the last year. The Swedish company made a name for itself in 2021 and 2022 when it made a number of major purchases, buying up companies like Eidos-Montreal, Limited Run Games, and Dark Horse Media. The company's fortunes seemed to come to an end last May after a reported deal worth $2 billion fell through. Since then, Embracer has made a number of efforts to restructure, and a large number of employees at Embracer owned studios have lost their jobs. 

While the layoffs have been particularly upsetting, multiple Embracer owned studios have also been closed completely. Volition and Free Radical Design were both closed last year by Embracer. At the time, Free Radical was in the early stages of working on a new entry in the TimeSplitters franchise, which was similarly cancelled. There have also been reports that Embracer is looking to sell off Gearbox Entertainment, though nothing has been officially announced, and there has been no word on whether a buyer has been lined up. 

Eidos-Montreal's Past and Future

Eidos-Montreal was acquired by Embracer in May 2022. The developer was previously owned by Square Enix. The studio's last game for Square Enix was the critically-acclaimed Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which was released in 2021. It seems that Eidos-Montreal moved over to the new Deus Ex game following that game's release, and production would have started this year. 

Whatever happens next at Eidos-Montreal, today's news is sure to be upsetting to those working at the company, as well as fans of the Deus Ex franchise. It remains to be seen what will happen with the series from here, but it's likely going to be a very long time before the series is seen again, if ever. 

Are you disappointed that a new Deus Ex game was cancelled before it even got announced? How do you feel about all of these layoffs? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!