When you think about the history of PC gaming – the shooters, RPGs, and immersive sims that made our beloved platform into what it is today – several names spring to mind. Age of Empires. Half-Life. The Sims. Counter-Strike. Command and Conquer. And of course, Deus Ex. The defining sci-fi saga originally from Ion Storm hasn’t seen a mainline release since Deus Ex Mankind Divided back in 2016. Before that, Human Revolution soft rebooted the whole series, and set a fresh standard for both stealth gameplay and videogame drama infused with real-world issues. As 2023 draws to a close, the time for a new Deus Ex game feels nigh – and Elias Toufexis, the star behind Adam Jensen and Starfield’s intergalactic cowboy Sam Coe, agrees.
23 years after it was first released, the original Deus Ex still leaps off the screen. A veritable PC classic, combining RPGs, stealth games, and (somewhat questionably voiced-acted) discussions on evolution, social disorder, and the Illuminati, Deus Ex is a landmark in videogame history.
Invisible War split fans and critics, but Human Revolution, from 2011, marked a widely beloved return to form, as well as introducing Adam Jensen himself. Mankind Divided was promising but felt a little unfinished (more on that later), but nevertheless, after a seven-year absence – and all the modern debates about AI, information control, and the ever-changing nature of global politics – now feels like the time for a new Deus Ex.
As players, we’ve grown hungry for more talkative, more substantive triple-A games. In the seven years since Mankind Divided arrived, we’ve had God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Disco Elysium – a whole crop of games that mix traditional and familiar mechanics with high-minded narrative.
Deus Ex paved the way; Human Revolution and Mankind Divided experimented with the formula. Now, the appetite for a dramatic, character-driven immersive sim with something to say about reality is established.
And Elias Toufexis, Adam Jensen himself, agrees. Previously, Toufexis has made a variety of comments about the need for a new Deus Ex game. Now, the actor reiterates his interest in returning to the world of conspiracies and augmentations, while offering some insight into the development of Mankind Divided.
“It’s funny but the last Deus Ex came out almost ten years ago, and I’ve done a ton of popular projects since then, and still I get the most people who want Jensen stuff,” Toufexis says. “It’s almost as if we should finish the story.”
One fan then replies to Toufexis, asking “Is it true that Mankind Divided was supposed to be longer, but the publisher [Square Enix] cut it in half to sell the rest of the story as a planned sequel?” “That is partially true,” Toufexis replies.
Back in July, Toufexis confirmed that he had not been contacted at all regarding the development of a new Deus Ex. The series is now owned by the Embracer Group, which purchased the rights to Deus Ex from Square Enix in August 2022. Will we see a new Deus Ex? I expect so, but it seems like it’s a long way away.
As we wait – and wait – for the return of Deus Ex, take a look at some of the best old games that you can still easily play today. Alternatively, get the best story games ever made.
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