It might be a while before we see another Deus Ex game - according to information from Eurogamer, a combination of lackluster sales of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and a shift in focus to other titles by Square Enix means that it will be quite a while before we see the next chapter in the adventures of the cybernetically augmented agent Adam Jensen.
Recently, Square Enix announced a multi-game partnership with comics juggernaut Marvel. The first game they're producing will be based on The Avengers IP and development will be handled by Crystal Dynamics. Crystal Dynamics is best known for working on the Tomb Raider series of games (including the more recent revivals of the series) as well as the classic vampire-themed Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver franchises. Eidos is supporting their work on The Avengers, as well as apparently working on the next Tomb Raider title, tentatively called Shadow of the Tomb Raider according to rumors. Beyond that, they are in the earlier stages of production of their title in the Marvel universe based off of Guardians of the Galaxy.
According to Eurogamer's sources, the story in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided had grown to monumental proportions and ultimately required a lot of trimming. The DLC for the title focused largely on standalone stories not connected to the main plotlines. As a result, fans of Deus Ex have been left with quite a few unresolved plotlines, and with the shift in development focus by the involved development studios it now seems like it will be some time before we see any of them resolved.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided had quite the ambitious launch including the announcement of the Deus Ex Universe Project, a series of games that was meant to tell a grand story over multiple titles. But now, as far as Eurogamer's sources are concerned it seems that these plans are shelved for the moment.
As for why Deus Ex: Mankind Divided didn't meet sales expectations, there are a number of possible reasons. One reason could be the furor over the game's pre-order scheme which led to a total reversal on the part of the developers. Another could be weaker reviews compared to Deus Ex: Human Revolution: while Human Revolution has a healthy score of 90 on Metacritic, Mankind Divided has a score of 83 and a rating of 81 on OpenCritic.
Whatever the case, if Eurogamer's sources are well-informed, it looks like Deus Ex fans will be waiting some time for the next story set in the cybernetically-augmented dystopia. In the meantime, fans of the genre will at least be able to look forward to Cyberpunk 2077, a game that is receiving an awful lot of focus from developer CD Projekt RED.
Did you enjoy Deus Ex: Mankind Divided? Why do you think it didn't meet the sales expectations of its developer? What do you hope to see in the next Deus Ex game? Let us know in the comments below!
