Disappointing news for fans of the iconic Deus Ex series arrived today by way of Eurogamer.
As a result of the poor sales recorded by its latest entry to the series, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Square Enix has opted to discontinue the series and focus on both its recently announced Marvel project, and the next installment in the Tomb Raider franchise, instead.
Gamers who had completed Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will have noted that the game left many unanswered questions, which were later to be concluded in a third and final entry to the Deus Ex trilogy, started by Human Revolution. It seems as though some of these plot threads were also supposed to have been tied up in Mankind Divided, but the game was later reduced in scope, having grown too ambitious. Mankind Divided – which took 5 years to make – may now never get a proper conclusion.
The second DLC for Mankind Divided, A Criminal Past, still remains on track for its February 23rd launch – acting as a prequel to the main game, where agent Adam Jensen is sent to a prison for the augmented to uncover a dark secret.
In 2013, it had been announced that Deus Ex was set to become one of Square Enix’s flagship franchise. Eidos Montreal boss David Anfossi had stated Deus Ex would be:
“An ongoing, expanding and connected game world built across a generation of core games. It’s a commitment on our part to deliver meaningful content that expands the franchise on a regular basis… and to deliver a deep conspiracy that will span several connected Deus Ex games, creating a more immersive and richer experience than ever before.”
Unfortunately, it seems that, despite solid review scores, Deus Ex Mankind Divided has not been able to penetrate the mainstream and will no longer get the sequel that many feel it deserves.