14 DAY TRIAL // After a short teasing process, video game developer Eidos Montreal and publisher Square Enix have finally revealed that their next big project is Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, a new title in the rebooted series starring Adam Jensen.
The title has an official trailer that shows a future where augmented people are shunned by polite society and are seen as terrorists and criminals after the events that took place at the end of Human Revolution.
The two companies have said that the action will take place two years after the events of the reboot and that Adam Jensen will be once again the main character, although it is unclear what members of the cast will join him.
Limited details about the story of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided are available at the moment, but it seems that the main themes will be the effects of augmentation and the way shadowy organizations are aiming to control the future of mankind.
Since the first game in the series was launched, fans have praised it for the way it made conspiracy one of its main elements.
The series invites players to look beyond the immediate facts and try to see the hidden intentions of every character they deal with.
The original Deus Ex and Human Revolution managed to maintain a solid balance between showing the consequences of a worldwide conspiracy while winking at the player and showing why it would be impossible to exist on such a scale in the real world.
Mankind Divided and the world we live in
The new Deus Ex does not yet have an official launch date, but the "soon" included in the official announcement might mean that it will be delivered before the end of the year.
The world we live in is very different from that of the year 2000, when the original was delivered.
Mass surveillance, which the game featured, is much more present, connected devices are everywhere, and tension on a global level is rising, with states showing little sign that companies will replace them in any capacity.
Deus Ex is a series of video games about one disruptive technology, augmentations, and their power to change reality both on a practical and a philosophical level.
Mankind Divided needs to acknowledge that the level of complexity of our world is so large that even such extraordinary tech would not significantly change our structures of power and the way most actors behave.
A mix of realism and conspiracy
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided should not be focused on Adam Jensen and his personal struggle, as Human Revolution did, but on the forces that are working to influence the world around the player.
Surveillance, the connected world, the lack of privacy, and the differences between baseline and augmented humans should be some of the core themes.
Eidos Montreal can deliver a mix of humor and seriousness in order to keep players engaged with the world of the game while telling them something useful about the universe they are living in.
The new Deus Ex is a video game, and that means its focus will be on interesting set pieces, great boss fights, and cool gadgets and powers for the player to deploy as Adam Jensen.
But the developers and Square Enix have a chance to deliver a title that has great gameplay but also manages to make a point about modernity, the influence of technology, and the future of humanity.
Let's hope that they see the potential of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and do not squander this opportunity like Ubisoft did with Watch Dogs, another game about the future that failed to tell gamers anything interesting about it.