Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – it’s probably not the studio’s next release though (pic: Square Enix)

Eidos is busy with multitple projects, according to a new report, with one of them being a brand new Deus Ex game.

When Square Enix announced it would be selling its Western studios, including Eidos-Montréal, to Embracer Group, many assumed/hoped that certain franchises would see a revival under the new management.

Deus Ex fans, in particular, thought their moment had come, considering there hasn’t been a new entry since 2016’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It was even rumoured that Eidos itself is eager to return to the series.

While nothing has been confirmed by either Eidos or Embracer, it’s since been claimed that work on a new Deus Ex has begun. The downside? It’s still ‘very, very early’ in development.

This likely means that Eidos has nothing tangible it can show to the public. Or in other words, the work only began when Embracer bought them earlier this year.

Not to mention Eidos is apparently busy with other projects at the moment. Aside from a brand new IP (one which is said to have been rescoped recently), it’s also entered a co-developer partnership with Microsoft.

This means it’s assisting development with some of Microsoft’s Xbox exclusives, including the Fable reboot.

This would be the second time Microsoft has done something like this, and with a former Eidos developer no less, as they’ve already enlisted Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics to help work on Perfect Dark.

Not only is this sort of cross-company development almost unheard of in normal circumstances but it once again raises questions over why Microsoft’s own studios seem to be struggling to develop first party titles on their own.

Eidos Montreal, which remains intact, canceled the Stranger Things-inspired “kids on bikes” game that was rumored recently. They’re now working on:
1) A new IP (recently rescoped)
2) A new Deus Ex (very very early)
3) co-dev partnerships with Xbox including Fable

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 1, 2022

This is all according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who adds that Eidos was also working on a ‘kids on bikes game’ inspired by Stranger Things, but it’s ultimately been cancelled for unspecified reasons.

The same report also mentions that Square Enix Montréal (the third Western studio sold to Embracer and best known for various mobile titles) has been shut down completely, despite getting a total rebranding just last month.