Deus Ex Actor Elias Toufexis Says Goodbye to Adam Jensen Following Game Cancellation

It’s sad times for Deus Ex fans following the cancellation of a new game in the series and layoffs at its developer, Eidos Montreal. And it’s a sad time for Elias Toufexis, who famously played Deus Ex protagonist Adam Jensen in the most recent games in the series.

In a heartfelt post on Reddit, Toufexis said goodbye to Adam Jensen, saying: “alas, his story seems done.” While Toufexis confirmed he had not worked on this cancelled Deus Ex game, and expressed hope that another company might pick up the Deus Ex licence, it seems that for now, Adam Jensen is done for.

Here’s Toufexis’ statement in full:

Hey all.

Elias Toufexis here.

I wanted to come on here and say thank you for this page, your wonderful messages over the years, and your continued, unbelievably strong support.

As for Jensen, we say goodbye, but hopefully not farewell. Maybe someone else will buy the license. Maybe we’ll make an animated series or finish the game. Elon Musk is a big fan, I think he has some money. Someone ask him! 😉

As you guys all know, Jensen is one of the characters I’ve played who is near and dear to my heart. It seems I will always be associated with him and that’s just fine with me.

Alas, his story seems done. I’m relatively certain the game that was canceled was not an Adam Jensen story, so the cancellation angers me more than anything else because friends at Eidos got laid off. Video game companies right now are in a weird place. I hope it gets straightened out.

Again, I just wanted to thank you all for the time you’ve spent sending fan art, stories, and general messages of love. The amount of CAMEO appearances I’ve had to make solely for Jensen fans makes my heart smile.

I hope you like the other work I’m fortunate enough to put out there, but I know that whatever the character is, he won’t mean as much as Adam Jensen does to a lot of you… and to me.

For the love and support? I asked for this.

Last month, embattled parent company Embracer Group reportedly canceled this new Deus Ex game after two years of development. 97 members of staff from Eidos Montreal were let go.

Embracer Group’s high-profile restructure has seen a number of studio closures, mass layoffs, and other subsidiaries put up for sale. The company’s financial difficulties follow the collapse of a rumoured $2 billion deal with the Saudi-backed Savvy Games Group. Embracer reports its Q3 financials for the 2024 fiscal year on February 15.

Embracer Group bought Eidos Montreal from Square Enix in 2022, along with the rights to franchises such as Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain, and Deus Ex. The most recent entry in the Deus Ex franchise was 2016’s Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which followed 2011’s much-loved entry, Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

As for Toufexis, he went on to tweet that a “massive” game he was both acting on and directing was cancelled, and another game he was acting on and directing was reworked “and now starting from scratch” with a “whole new team”. Toufexis did not disclose the names of the projects. “The video game world is a disaster zone right now,” Toufexis said.

“I am presently working on two or three other games but I’d expect them all to be canceled before the end of the week or something,” he added. Then: “I’m fine guys. I’m very lucky to have many irons in the fire. Games are just in a weird place right now.”

The video game industry has suffered thousands of layoffs already in 2024 in what some have described as the toughest period for the industry since the crash of 1983. Most recently, Microsoft let go 1,900 staff from its gaming division following the $69 billion buyout of Call of Duty owner Activision Blizzard. This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complained that these layoffs contradict what was said in the antitrust trial over Microsoft’s now-complete acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.