It’s unhappy instances for Deus Ex followers following the cancellation of a brand new recreation within the collection and layoffs at its developer, Eidos Montreal. And it’s a tragic time for Elias Toufexis, who famously performed Deus Ex protagonist Adam Jensen in the newest video games within the collection.
In a heartfelt put up on Reddit, Toufexis mentioned goodbye to Adam Jensen, saying: “alas, his story appears executed.” Whereas Toufexis confirmed he had not labored on this cancelled Deus Ex recreation, and expressed hope that one other firm may decide up the Deus Ex licence, evidently for now, Adam Jensen is finished for.
Right here’s Toufexis’ assertion in full:
Hey all.
Elias Toufexis right here.
I needed to come back on right here and say thanks for this web page, your great messages through the years, and your continued, unbelievably sturdy help.
As for Jensen, we are saying goodbye, however hopefully not farewell. Perhaps another person will purchase the license. Perhaps we’ll make an animated collection or end the sport. Elon Musk is an enormous fan, I believe he has some cash. Somebody ask him! 😉
As you guys all know, Jensen is without doubt one of the characters I’ve performed who’s close to and pricey to my coronary heart. It appears I’ll all the time be related to him and that is simply positive with me.
Alas, his story appears executed. I am comparatively sure the sport that was canceled was not an Adam Jensen story, so the cancellation angers me greater than the rest as a result of pals at Eidos received laid off. Online game firms proper now are in a bizarre place. I hope it will get straightened out.
Once more, I simply needed to thanks all for the time you have spent sending fan artwork, tales, and common messages of affection. The quantity of CAMEO appearances I’ve needed to make solely for Jensen followers makes my coronary heart smile.
I hope you want the opposite work I am lucky sufficient to place on the market, however I do know that regardless of the character is, he will not imply as a lot as Adam Jensen does to a number of you… and to me.
For the love and help? I requested for this.
Final month, embattled dad or mum firm Embracer Group reportedly canceled this new Deus Ex recreation after two years of improvement. 97 members of employees from Eidos Montreal have been let go.
Embracer Group’s high-profile restructure has seen quite a lot of studio closures, mass layoffs, and different subsidiaries put up on the market. The corporate’s monetary difficulties comply with the collapse of a rumoured $2 billion cope with the Saudi-backed Savvy Video games Group. Embracer stories its Q3 financials for the 2024 fiscal 12 months on February 15.
Embracer Group purchased Eidos Montreal from Sq. Enix in 2022, together with the rights to franchises equivalent to Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain, and Deus Ex. The latest entry within the Deus Ex franchise was 2016’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which adopted 2011’s much-loved entry, Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
As for Toufexis, he went on to tweet {that a} “large” recreation he was each appearing on and directing was cancelled, and one other recreation he was appearing on and directing was reworked “and now ranging from scratch” with a “entire new staff”. Toufexis didn’t disclose the names of the initiatives. “The online game world is a catastrophe zone proper now,” Toufexis mentioned.
“I’m presently engaged on two or three different video games however I might anticipate all of them to be canceled earlier than the top of the week or one thing,” he added. Then: “I am positive guys. I am very fortunate to have many irons within the fireplace. Video games are simply in a bizarre place proper now.”
The online game trade has suffered 1000’s of layoffs already in 2024 in what some have described because the hardest interval for the trade for the reason that crash of 1983. Most not too long ago, Microsoft let go 1,900 employees from its gaming division following the $69 billion buyout of Name of Responsibility proprietor Activision Blizzard. This week, the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) complained that these layoffs contradict what was mentioned within the antitrust trial over Microsoft’s now-complete acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You may attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.