Deus Ex is down, but it’s not out according to Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda. The latest entry in the series, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, was a disappointment financially and to fans of the franchise. The consensus in the industry was that the franchise would be iced, but Matsuda is putting that to rest.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Matsuda stated the lack of announcements concerning the Deus Ex franchise had more to do with internal resources than any plans to can the series. Apparently, Square Enix has a few big titles in development, and Deus Ex is just waiting for its turn at bat again.
Matsuda said in the interview that the Deus Ex series is important to Square Enix and that internal discussions on where the franchise will go next are already occurring. He didn’t have anything to say about the fact that Deus Ex: Mankind Divided seems to have been initially considered to be part two of a trilogy that began with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Mankind Divided had an inconclusive ending which begs for some sort of resolution, but Square hasn’t revealed whether they intend to continue that story or not.
Also: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Review
Eidos Montreal is hard at work on games based on Marvel Comics. Their most prominent project seems to be an Avengers game developed in part with Crystal Dynamics. This will be the first Marvel-licensed property to come out of Square Enix, so it’s likely that Deus Ex will have to wait until at least after that game’s release before any new development with the series occurs.
It might be a few years down the road, but Matsuda’s comments seem to bode well for the future of Deus Ex. Hopefully, the next entry will capture more of the magic that made the first game such a classic.
