According to a new report from Bloomberg, Embracer Group is officially cancelling a new Deus Ex game that was in development for about two years.
Further, Embracer Group also decided to lay off some of the staff at Eidos Montreal. The Bloomberg reports that the cancellation and layoffs are “part of an ongoing initiative to cut costs”.
At this time, the report does not confirm the precise number of employees affected by the new layoffs. It is also unclear which particular roles were all affected.
The Deus Ex series first launched decades ago, and the original game remains a classic dystopian RPG.
There are still plenty of Deus Ex fans. The most recent title Deus Ex: Mankind Divided released in 2016 and maintains ‘Very Positive’ ratings on Steam.
So, cancelling the new Deus Ex game is a bold move for Embracer. That is especially true when the creatives already put so much work into the game.
At this time, the future of the Deus Ex series is now unclear.
Unfortunately, Embracer Group’s layoffs at Eidos Montreal are only the latest in an extensive series of reductions.
Embracer Group first announced plans for ‘restructuring’ in June 2023. Since then, the company has laid off employees at Fishlabs and a variety of other studios.
Most recently, Embracer Group hit both 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks with layoffs right before the holidays.
A devastating number of employees are already affected by layoffs this year. Even Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees last week, explaining plans for “a sustainable cost structure”.
However, Embracer Group has become especially divisive among gaming fans. It doesn’t seem like the layoffs will slow down any time soon in 2024.
For more of the latest gaming news, you can read about the new State of Play event that PlayStation announced for later this week.
