Highlights

  • Despite recent setbacks in the Deus Ex franchise, upcoming indie games like Core Decay offer hope for fans craving immersive-sim experiences.
  • Core Decay, Deep State, and Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation are three upcoming games looking to pay homage to Deus Ex's complex narratives.
  • With the future of the Deus Ex franchise uncertain, indies may carry the torch with games that delve into conspiracy theories and immersive gameplay.

Recent years have been hard for Deus Ex fans. When the third game in the Adam Jensen trilogy was unceremoniously canceled in 2017, many fans thought the franchise would fall into another long hiatus the way it did after Invisible War. Because of this, it came as a surprise when, in 2022, there was the surprise announcement that Eidos Montreal was working on a new Deus Ex game. Then, earlier this year, after two years with no updates, it was announced that the game had been canceled—another victim of Embracer Group’s long and relentless series of cancelations.

In the near-decade since the release of Mankind Divided, players have been spoiled for choice when it comes to immersive-sims. From Cruelty Squad’s surrealist biopunk take on the aesthetics of conspiracy theories, to the 2017 Prey reboot's meaningful progression, open-ended gameplay, and sci-fi setting, there have been a number of ways for Deus Ex fans to scratch their immersive-sim itch. Still, while many games have come close, nothing has quite filled the particular gap left by Deus Ex’s absence. Fortunately, that might be about to change.

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The Core of Deus Ex Has Always Been Conspiracy Theories

FEMA camps, Area 51, Majestic 12, the Illuminati, CIA drug trafficking, vaccinations, sleeper agents, DUMBs, political assassinations, the exploitation of high-technology, mass surveillance, AI manipulation of the media, false flags, corporate collusion, economic manipulation -- the original Deus Ex pulled from all areas of classic internet-age paranoia to create a living, breathing world of conspiracies within conspiracies that fans are still dissecting and discussing 25 years later. But, while the Deus Ex franchise's gameplay has been wildly influential, far fewer games have taken a similar approach to narrative.

During a 2017 GDC talk , Deus Ex creator Warren Spector talked about conspiracy theories that didn't make it into the game. One notable conspiracy, omitted for being too silly, is the Denver International Airport conspiracy, which claims that there is a mysterious subterranean base hidden beneath the Denver International Airport.

Deus Ex’s Heirs May Be On the Horizon

Thankfully, complex conspiracy theory narratives—reminiscent of Robert Anton Wilson’s Illuminatus! Trilogy and Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles—might not be unique to the Deus Ex franchise for much longer. Three upcoming immersive-sims are jumping into the paranoid waters of conspiracy theories, looking to both pay homage to Deus Ex franchise and take its crown.

Core Decay

An upcoming ‘philosophical sci-fi adventure’ from Ivar Hill and Slipgate Ironworks, Core Decay is a love letter to both the original Deus Ex and the Adam Jensen reboot games. A globetrotting adventure that combines open-ended gameplay with murky motivations, discussions of what it means to be human, and corporate conspiracies, Core Decay looks to be a faithful homage to the Deus Ex formula.

Deep State

Taking things in a more esoteric direction, Deep State takes the conspiracy theories and adds a layer of cosmic horror. A shadowy organization, a partner back from the dead, and grotesque entities inhabiting a void beyond the universe come together for a narrative as much inspired by Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, and 80s action movies as by the Deus Ex franchise. With its more combat focused approach, Deep State risks taking away a degree of player agency. To mitigate this, solo developer FrogManDev plans to implement stealth mechanics before the game’s final release. A demo is currently available on FrogManDev’s itch.io page.

Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation

Taking equally from Deus Ex and Cruelty Squad, Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation perfectly captures the disorienting nature of conspiracy theories by throwing the player directly into the middle of one. Sinister voices, a mysterious guardian angel, and ideological factions all vie for the player’s loyalty, while keeping their own motivations close to their chest. With its bleak sense of humor, varied gameplay systems, and lo-fi graphics, Parkside manages to accurately capture the mysterious, unsettling nature of the original Deus Ex. A demo is currently available on Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation’s Steam page.

Indies Look Set To Carry Deus Ex’s Torch

Things don’t look good for the future of the Deus Ex franchise. No games have been announced as in active development, and Embracer Group seemingly has no interest in getting one started. For now, it looks like it will be up to indies to carry the cyberpunk im-sim torch. With a number of Deus Ex inspired games set to be released in the near future, fans won't have to wait too long to get their fix of sneaking through vents, hacking into terminals, and uncovering international conspiracies. It might not be Deus Ex, but it just might be close enough.