Support NeoGAF

[spons]

The Swedish gaming company Embracer Group AB is canceling a video game in the beloved Deus Ex series after two years of development and will lay off a number of employees as part of an ongoing initiative to cut costs, according to people familiar with the moves.

Eidos, the Montreal, Canada-based studio behind the game, will instead focus on an original franchise. The canceled Deus Ex project, which had not yet been announced, was slated to enter production later this year, said the people, speaking anonymously because they are not authorized to talk to the press.

Source

Official statement:

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Oh my god...just cancel Embracer all together...seriously wtf

 

[Chuck Berry]

I didn't ask for this...

 

[DragoonKain]

I haven't been following this thing all that closely so could someone please explain to me what's up with all this. Let me know if I have the facts correctly. Embracer Group comes in all big and bad and buys up a ton of companies and then not too long after has some type of financial issues and needs to start making severe cuts and layoffs?

Did they bite off more than they could chew? What's up with all this? Why buy all these companies if you can't afford them? Doesn't seem profitable if the companies you do buy aren't going to be at their best to be able to produce products that will make you money.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Man, screw Embracer so much.

 

[Tsaki]

They do know that they need to make games and release them to make money, right?

 

[Punished Miku]

First smart thing Embracer has done. There was never a point in trying to make another of these since their efforts were never going to eclipse what SQEX did. SQEX paid for 2 games, and they were heavily marketed with extremely impressive CG trailers. Sales tanked. Better to cancel this than close the studio.

 

[ComputerBlue]

Embracer is fucking trash. Can someone buy the studio or IP from them?

 

[graywolf323]

well that fucking sucks, Deus Ex is one of my favorite series and it seems to be cursed

I haven't been following this thing all that closely so could someone please explain to me what's up with all this. Let me know if I have the facts correctly. Embracer Group comes in all big and bad and buys up a ton of companies and then not too long after has some type of financial issues and needs to start making severe cuts and layoffs?

Did they bite off more than they could chew? What's up with all this? Why buy all these companies if you can't afford them? Doesn't seem profitable if the companies you do buy aren't going to be at their best to be able to produce products that will make you money.

they counted their eggs before they hatched, they believed they were going to get a large investment from the Saudis IIRC but then the investment fell through

 

[TVexperto]

another jason scheisser hit piece on embracer

 

[LordCBH]

FUCK Embracer. Shit company run by fucking scum bags.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I hope everyone still under Embracer is looking for employment elsewhere.

 

[ResilientBanana]

People thought the latest Dues Ex games were not boring as shit?

 

[Js562]

shame

 

[Ar¢tos]

How long until Embracer collapses and the IPs go to auction?

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Fuck, this one really hurts.

 

[hyperbertha]

First smart thing Embracer has done. There was never a point in trying to make another of these since their efforts were never going to eclipse what SQEX did. SQEX paid for 2 games, and they were heavily marketed with extremely impressive CG trailers. Sales tanked. Better to cancel this than close the studio.

Eidos mntrl developed both Deus ex games. They could have made a third masterpiece, and complete the story. But you'd much rather play suicide squad right? Moron.

 

[ungalo]

Metro VR + Deux Ex being a real thing but cancelled is a terrible combo. No hope for Kingdom Come at this point. Of all the bad things that happened in gaming these last years Embracer is probably the worst by far.

 

[ProtoByte]

Embracer's is collapsing, but I don't know why people are so hostile against them. Most of their teams are eurojank tier factories that make stuff that mostly doesn't sell. If it wasn't for them, the studios would've been culled or closed down earlier.

Eidos is above that level, and I don't like this, but their games aren't huge sellers. Deus Ex hasn't been either. It's shocking that Embracer even greenlit a full new game at all.

Edit: And look at that, they're going to be making a new IP like everyone keeps saying they want as opposed to zombie franchising.

 

[GamesDontSuck]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Had hopes another one was in the pipeline. Cancelling after 2 years too?!

 

[Punished Miku]

Eidos mntrl developed both Deus ex games. They could have made a third masterpiece, and complete the story. But you'd much rather play suicide squad right? Moron.

Another one for the ignore list. Look up what a publisher is. That's what Embracer is, and what I was discussing.

 

[Labadal]

One of few games I didn't want to see get the axed. (Not that I wanted any other game to get axed, but this was one that I cared for the most.)

 

[hyperbertha]

Another one for the ignore list. Look up what a publisher is. That's what Embracer is, and what I was discussing.

Them being a publisher doesn't absolve you of the clownshow your comment is.

 

[NuclearDiarrhea]

Microsoft should buy Embracer.

 

[HL3.exe]

Yes! Thanks! Amazing news!

You incredible dumbfucks. You had one job after buying Deus Ex from square-Enix. Fuck me, this was the only thing I was looking forward too.

Hope they'll sell the property. Will never happen. So long Deus Ex.

 

[ReBurn]

The good news is that Embracer's stock price is low enough that they could be purchased by any of the other remaining large publishers. If we're gonna consolidate let's do it right.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Goddamn it Embracer....

 

[Punished Miku]

Them being a publisher doesn't absolve you of the clownshow your comment is.

Now that you see I'm not even talking about who developed it, or the quality of the games, I'll explain what I was talking about since you apparently still can't grasp it. I was saying that Deus Ex games, while fun, are not good sellers. The people in charge of selling the game is the publisher. SQEX actually did a phenomenal job marketing both games with some of the best trailers of that gen, and I saw the games marketed. It didn't matter. Greenlighting another game with worse marketing is a guaranteed studio closing move.

But I guess going by your kindergarten business logic as long as you like the game that's as sophisticated as you can get with a games business conversation. Talk about your game wishlist with the other children. I wont be seeing your comments anymore.

 

[Jigsaah]

There was a Deus Ex game? I thought Square made Deus Ex. Must have been mistaken. I guess they just published it.

Well that's bad. Embracer is a slowly sinking ship...somebody just put em out of their misery please.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Microsoft should buy Embracer.

Why? They are already firing people left and right and cleaning house.

They should start to worry about releasing good games with the publishers that they bought recently. It's not like Bethesda (Death Loop, Ghostwire, Redfall and Starfield) and Activision (the latest COD being the worst reviewed one in god knows how long and sales declining) are doing that great in terms of output.

 

[ahtlas7]

 

[Portman]

I'm so confused to see the mention of it being dropped for a new original property (unless my short term memory is failing me). All these companies are supposed to be afraid of the investment into something new so you would think they would've eaten up the idea of working on this. Who am I kidding I'm just upset because now Adam Jensen's story is back on hold again.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Is anyone really surprised by this by now?

 

[intbal]

Great news.

Their Deus Ex was going to be a co-op GaaS.

Now please sell this IP to somebody else, Embracer.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Sony, Ubisoft, Take 2 or hell even Microsoft pick these games up and get them off this cancer known as Embracer.

 

[hyperbertha]

Now that you see I'm not even talking about who developed it, or the quality of the games, I'll explain what I was talking about since you apparently still can't grasp it. I was saying that Deus Ex games, while fun, are not good sellers. The people in charge of selling the game is the publisher. SQEX actually did a phenomenal job marketing both games with some of the best trailers of that gen, and I saw the games marketed. It didn't matter. Greenlighting another game with worse marketing is a guaranteed studio closing move.

But I guess going by your kindergarten business logic as long as you like the game that's as sophisticated as you can get with a games business conversation. Talk about your game wishlist with the other children. I wont be seeing your comments anymore.

Putting me to your ignore list doesn't make for a show of confidence in your opinion, but your comments here are generally trash anyway so it's no loss.
I know what embracer is. Most people are smarter than you apparently think. If all you cared about is publisher bottom-line how come you dicksuck suicide squad so much since that one is pretty much a guaranteed disaster?
And two, making divided was marketed horribly. The apartheid thing it was going for was yuck, so you really have no point.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Anyone still defending this scummy company can eat a bag of dicks and die and Im saying that because there were users on gaf defending them.

 

[TheDuskwalker]

 

[ProtoByte]

Great news.

Their Deus Ex was going to be a co-op GaaS.

Now please sell this IP to somebody else, Embracer.

Who, would be my question.
Who has the correct expertise, resources, creative inspiration, and philosophical/political outlook to do Deus Ex properly or elevate it? I can't think of a single studio that truly encompasses all of that or even half competent ones with the time on schedule for it.

 

[Beer Baelly]

 

[intbal]

Who, would be my question.
Who has the correct expertise, resources, creative inspiration, and philosophical/political outlook to do Deus Ex properly or elevate it? I can't think of a single studio that truly encompasses all of that or even half competent ones with the time on schedule for it.

Assuming Embracer is in "fire sale" mode and has to let it go for cheap, I'd trust Asobo Studio to do a good job with Deus Ex.

 

[ComputerBlue]

Microsoft should buy Embracer.

Shut it you

 

[spons]

 

[Draugoth]

 

[MagiusNecros]

I didn't ask for this...

What a shame

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

It's not the global economic context, it's Embracer's irresponsible, moronic management combined with the Saudis backing out of a massive investment in whatever their money laundering scam was intended to be.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Man fuck this shit, a good friend of mine who works in the game industry just got laid off as well.

 

[Shadowstar39]

First smart thing Embracer has done. There was never a point in trying to make another of these since their efforts were never going to eclipse what SQEX did. SQEX paid for 2 games, and they were heavily marketed with extremely impressive CG trailers. Sales tanked. Better to cancel this than close the studio.

so they can now make another stupid multiplayer or gaas game. No thanks. This sucks. Really these companies don't want my money. Someone has to cater to us single player gamers , somewhere. Tired of this gaas/mp push. There can only be so many multiplayer games as mp gamers play the same game for 1000s of hours. They don't play new games often like we sp gamers tend to do.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

First smart thing Embracer has done. There was never a point in trying to make another of these since their efforts were never going to eclipse what SQEX did. SQEX paid for 2 games, and they were heavily marketed with extremely impressive CG trailers. Sales tanked. Better to cancel this than close the studio.

I'm sad that you're right, but you're right. I really wanted another Deus Ex ASAP, so it's the shattered hope that sucks

 

[geary]

Fuck Microsoft, fuck Phil.