Today marks the launch of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, a cyberpunk sci-fi thriller that deals with issues of cybernetic augmentation and its potential impacts on society—topics that were discussed in detail at the Human by Design conference, presented by Square Enix and CNN’s Courageous studio. However, even with all the attention on Mankind Divided, we shouldn’t overlook the launch was a different kind of Deus Ex experience. Last week saw the release of Deus Ex GO, a puzzle game based in the Deus Ex universe designed for mobile devices.
The series started in 2014 with Hitman GO, developed by Square Enix Montreal. It was then followed by Lara Croft GO, which released last year and became a critical success, and the studio won the Apple Design Award for the game. Deus Ex GO builds on that success by offering a puzzle experience where players are free to use cybernetic augmentations and stealth to progress. Furthermore, the mobile game helps to promote the launch of Mankind Divided.
Nicolas Bertrand-Verge, marketing content and community manager at Square Enix Montreal, spoke to [a]listdaily about the series and how Deus Ex GO ties in with Mankind Divided, developed by Eidos Montreal.
We asked about the studio’s roots, starting with the inspiration to develop Hitman GO. “The studio was founded back in 2012 to develop a completely new AAA Hitman game,” said Bertrand-Verge. “After a year of pre-conception, the studio’s mandate was shifted to mobile. Since so much research on the Hitman universe had been done, the studio decided they would focus on Agent 47 for their first products. The studio divided up into teams and pitched different concepts on how to do a Hitman mobile game, and the unique, turn-based—almost board-game approach—of Hitman GO caught the attention of everyone at the studio.”
Bertrand-Verge also discussed how Square Enix Montreal selected games for the “GO” treatment.
“After Hitman GO, it really felt like we could explore the same GO gameplay with other titles. The Square Enix portfolio is extremely vast, complete with legendary franchises and very interesting new additions. Lara Croft was a very emotional choice for us. Lara is such an iconic character, and it seemed like we could explore different elements, mostly verticality. Deus Ex was also an easy pick—Montreal is now the new home of Deus Ex with our close friends at Eidos Montreal developing the last two titles and on a fundamental level, the base mechanics like stealth, augments and hacking we’re almost begging to be transposed to a GO game.”
Deus Ex GO is “a turn-based puzzle infiltration game set in a stylized interpretation of the Deus Ex Universe,” according to Bertrand-Verge. Players take the role of Adam Jensen, who is also the main character in Mankind Divided. They use hacking, combat and augmentations to uncover the truth behind a terrorist plot. “The game is very much in the continuation of the [GO] games that came before it, but offers some of the most challenging puzzles we’ve ever created. We’re also bringing a level creator feature sometime after release that will allow players to create their own puzzles and share them with their friends.”
As for how the mobile game ties in with Mankind Divided, Bertrand-Verge explains that “Deus Ex GO’s story takes place right before Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, so you’ll get to be introduced to some of the cast before the console release. That said, if you’re a newcomer to the game, the story is very much self-contained, and you won’t need prior knowledge of the franchise to appreciate it. We’re also excited about the fact that by playing Deus Ex GO and completing a few challenges, you’re able to unlock Praxis Kits, which are basically upgrade points, in the Xbox One and PC versions of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.”
Given the recognizable brand name of the Deus Ex franchise and the success of previous GO games, we asked Bertrand-Verge to describe the challenges of promoting a new game onto the crowded mobile games market. “The challenges we face in terms of marketing are pretty much the same that we’ve had to face for all Square Enix Montreal’s games,” he said. “Since we’re working with well-known gaming franchises, we need to make sure and communicate to our hardcore fans as well as the very casual App Store crowd. Everyone has to find something they like in what we’re doing. We also have very short and intense campaigns. We announced Deus Ex GO in June, and the game came out in August. Time is limited and becomes very precious, and all this happens as the developers are closing out the game since we have very short development cycles.”
Bertrand-Verge also shared what he thought fans loved most about the GO games that made them such a success.
“I believe the power of the GO games is how they invoke the feeling of playing the classic games from their franchises even if the actual gameplay is miles away from the original games. It’s nostalgia, but presented in a completely new gaming experience. They harken back to games of the past while feeling new and fresh.”
