Deus Ex (2000) is an iconic PC game and (along with System Shock and Thief) is responsible for establishing the underrated immersive sim genre of gaming.
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. This duology was completed in 2016 with Mankind Divided, and the series has been dormant ever since, except for the controversial development of the original currently in the media.
In a world where new intellectual property rights are considered too risky by many publishers, it's a wonder a series named Deus Ex hasn't been dusted off for a reboot in the 2020s. The reason? Well, according to Elias Toufexis—the actor behind Human Revolution/Mankind Divided protagonist Adam Jensen—that's because the owners of the license are “psychopaths” (thanks, FRVR).
No love lost for the Embracer Group
This arose when Toufexis posted a preview of the projects he would be involved in, 2026. The image showed Bungie's Marathon and three projects currently under NDA, leading one responder to speculate that Toufexis might appear in a new Deus Ex. The actor's response was emphatic.
“… no Deux Ex because those responsible are psychopaths,” the actor wrote. Eidos-Montréal owns Deus Ex, and the studio is in turn owned by the mega holding company Embracer Group. The latter is controversial in the industry for quickly buying studios, implementing cost-cutting measures and producing very little final product despite the resources available to the company.
Ranking the surprisingly small number of Deus Ex games out there
Carrying immersive swims on its very small back.
There was a new Deus Ex project in development at Eidos-Montréal between 2002 and 2004, although the Toufexis (and consequently Adam Jensen) were not involved. This project was ultimately canceled by Embracer, resulting in 172 people being laid off from the studio over the following months.
In a 2024 Reddit post, Toufexis gave his outside perspective on the canceled project, writing: “I'm relatively certain the game that was canceled wasn't an Adam Jensen story, so the cancellation pisses me off more than anything because friends at Eidos got laid off. Video game companies are in a weird place right now. I hope it gets straightened out.”
The layoffs likely contributed to Toufexi's feelings toward Embracer, and he is not alone in harboring resentment toward 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, use of alcohol
- Developer
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Eidos Montreal
- Engine
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Crystal engine
