Fresh-faced development studio Eidos Montreal is currently hard at work on its inaugural project, Deus Ex 3, but that doesn't mean it's incapable of multitasking -- according to an ad in the upcoming issue of Edge Magazine, the studio is set to reveal its second project on May 11, which just happens to be the day before GDC Canada kicks off. The project's identity is difficult to ... well, it's unclear -- yeah, it's Thief. It's going to be a Thief game, guys.

The ad does more than hint at the identity of the title -- it references accolades from GameSpy and GameSpot which have been laid upon the Thief franchise, and even seems to feature the Thief logo, somewhat obfuscated by a sticker mentioning the May 11 reveal. Unless we're being fleeced with unprecedented gusto, you can expect to hear more about Eidos Montreal's kleptomaniacal second project in exactly one week.

[Via VG247]

This one is a stretch, but let's play along, just to not break the hearts of long-suffering Thief fans. Eidos Montreal is teasing that it'll be revealing their follow-up project to Deus Ex 3 soon and the font used for the announcement tease ... looks like one used in the Thief franchise. No, seriously, that's the story.

We're not even close to convinced, but feel free to take a peek and judge for yourself.

New details about Deus Ex 3 have been revealed in a preview article written on the Czech website Hratelne.cz. According to translations found on the Eidos forums, the game will feature protagonist Adam Jensen and is set in a world where cybernetics companies hold more sway than world governments. Those who can afford them purchase cybernetic implants to gain an edge in society, which breeds unrest among the poorer, non-augmented populace.

One new feature mentioned is squad AI for groups of enemies. Such squads will have an identifiable leader guiding them and will adjust to player actions, such as changing weapons. Take out the leader and a squad's tactical abilities are reduced. Boss battles will evidently also be affected by players' previous actions, though no specifics are given as to how that works. The article also notes that the dialogue system depends on a player's ability to read facial expressions and body language, the proper judgment of which will help to reveal the best response.

The game will visit five major locations, including Shanghai, Detroit and Montreal, all winding towards the formation of UNATCO, the organization served by the original Deus Ex's protagonist, JC Denton (Deus Ex 3 is a prequel, remember?). Hit the source links for more details. Hopefully, we'll start to see additional details hitting the web soon.

[Via DigitalBattle.com]

Source -- Eidos Forums
Source -- Hratelne.cz (Czech)

As anticipated, PC Zone has headlined its 200th issue with a Deus Ex 3 preview, reports its online counterpart, CVG. The second sequel to the "Best PC Game of All Time" (according to a 2007 poll conducted by -- who else? -- PC Zone) will be a prequel set in 2027 and apparently has received the blessings of the original designers, Warren Spector and Harvey Smith, along with consultative help from the original writer, Sheldon Pacotti. Still, we should remind you that Deus Ex 3 is being developed by a largely untested team, in Eidos Montreal, and the studio has made some, um, changes:

• Combat won't be influenced by stats, just your FPS skills (or is that "skillz"?)
  
• Instead, stats will affect "a vast array of fully upgradeable and customizable weapons" (there will be more than one type of ammo); experience points can be attributed to weapons or augmentations
• 20 augmentations are promised; examples: "bungee jump tentacles" that fire from your back and anchor into walls (useful when jumping off buildings / faking your death); the ability to punch through walls ... and grab enemies on the other side!
• Stealth will be implemented into a new cover system
  
• Damage will be recovered by auto-healing (think: most FPSs these days -- even ones without so-called "augmentations")

The complete 10-page preview hits UK newsstands on October 9th. Scans are hitting the internet right about ... now!

We don't know much about Deus Ex 3 – we know it's coming; we know it's being developed by the unproven team at Eidos Montreal; and we know it will use Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider engine. If a pic snagged by GAFfer Endless is to be believed, next month's PC Zone magazine (its "200th issue spectacular"!) will have a lot more details. If the internet has taught us anything – besides the gullibility of its users – it's that one can reasonably expect magazines to end up in the hands of scan-happy forum-goers well in advance of their purported street dates, so hopefully we'll know if this is legit before October 9th.

While Eidos Montreal continues to turn out code that will eventually become Deus Ex 3, the studio has apparently found enough time to work towards a second project, something beginning with the letter "T." Of course, Tomb Raider is the obvious conclusion, but that series is well in hand at Eidos studio Crystal Dynamics, leaving us scratching our heads wondering just what the Montreal devs could be up to.

One possible conclusion is Thief, a series that has lurked in the shadows since 2004's Ion Storm-developed second sequel Thief: Deadly Shadows, and while this is enough to get us excited to find out more, the project could just as easily be a game based on Tiny Toons...which come to think of it would be pretty cool too.

[Thanks TheSabin]

He's got at least three more games under his belt, and yet Warren Spector is already planning his exit strategy, according to a recent interview with Eurogamer. The 52-year-old game designer believes that he will work on a maximum of five more games during his career, "more likely probably three given how long they take."

In the interview, Spector also discusses Deux Ex 3, which will be the first of the series which Spector will have no input on. Although he has not been in direct contact with developer Eidos Montreal, Spector expresses concern over the Deus Ex franchise, claiming it to be "delicate" and hoping that the third title might in some way correct some of the mistakes made in Deus Ex: Invisible War.

Though no details are given about Spector's newest project -- which is being developed for Junction Studios owner Disney -- Spector does state that the hardcore gaming community will undoubtedly lash out in response to the eventual announcement, and he anticipates claims that he has sold out. According to Spector, it will be "glorious. Just glorious."

In a recent interview with 1UP, Eidos general manager Stephane D'Astous confirmed that Deus Ex 3 is headed to the Xbox 360 ... sort of. Actually, when asked directly about which platforms would be receiving Deus Ex 3, D'Astous responded that "it's next-gen and PC." Given the success of the 360, we're guessing that the 360 is one of the next-gen platforms to which D'Astous was referring. D'Astous spends the rest of the interview discussing Eidos Montreal and allaying the fears of Deus Ex fans. One fear that can't be allayed though: don't expect to see much on the game anytime soon. D'Astous noted that Eidos might have something to show by next summer and also that Deus Ex 3 is being developed under a 24 month development schedule. In other words, it's feasible that Deus Ex 3 might see a 2009 release.

[Via GameStooge]

Adding itself to the rather small list of next-gen titles not using Epic's Unreal Engine, Eidos Montreal studio head Stephane D'Astous has confirmed to Develop that Deus Ex 3 will use fellow Eidos developer Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider engine to render its presumably post-apocalyptic environments. Said D'Astous, "We chose the Crystal engine because we plan to help develop this engine more and then share it back with the rest of the company, the other Eidos studios."

The other in-house engine D'Astous considered was IO Interactive, who are responsible for the Hitman franchise and Kane & Lynch, the title currently vying for "Most Controversial Game of the Year" award. The original Deus Ex was designed by Warren Spector and Harvey Smith; although Spector is busy at Disney, perhaps the now out-of-work Smith can find a way to contribute to the new game (or, as Ludwig would put it, repent for Invisible War).

There's only so many times in a week one can make a "so long and thanks for all the fish" joke. GameTap is reporting Harvey Smith has left Midway Austin after making some very public waves in Montreal, calling Blacksite: Area 51's production "f*cked up." Although he took "personal accountability," he also pointed at Midway saying the project went from alpha to final in a "completely reprehensible" fashion.

GameTap says their source confirmed Smith's departure was "by mutual agreement between Harvey and the studio." Smith became creative director at Midway Austin after previously working at the now defunct Ion Storm on Deus Ex. Conspiracy theorists believe Smith made his statements to get fired by Midway so he could try and work on the recently announced Deus Ex 3 at Eidos Montreal. Yeah, the same Eidos implicated in the Kane & Lynch shenanigans. Look at that, we've come full circle. Best 'o luck Mr. Smith. (Also, call us when you want to talk Deus Ex).

Though plans for a return to the world of Deus Ex were revealed back in May, Gamasutra brings further confirmation that gamers will frolic through post-apocalyptic sci-punk landscapes once more. Perhaps frolic isn't the best word ("Behave like a professional, JC!"). According to general manager Stéphane D'Astous, Deus Ex 3 has passed proof of concept and will be the inaugural project for the recently established Eidos Montreal studio. "This game was very highly rated at its release in 2000," said D'Astous, "and we have this great huge mandate to do the third one, and everybody is very excited."

We sincerely hope the team also plays great huge disappointment, Deus Ex: Invisible War, and brings the series into the current generation with aplomb. No specific platforms have been announced yet, but the studio intends to churn out "only major AAA games, using only next-gen technology." As it's adopting a 24-month development cycle for its initial titles, don't expect more about the game until next year at the earliest. In the meantime, try to guess how many of the game's fictional technologies will be explained away with nanobots. It's always nanobots.

Developed under the watchful eyes of one Warren Spector, Deus Ex (promiscuously pronounced Day o' Sex) was a cyberpunk masterpiece which utterly laid waste to genre barriers and linear storytelling. The post-apocalyptic results are still remembered to this day, though less ambitious games have already rebuilt almost everything that was lost. It's about time we were visited by another catastrophe to conformity and indeed, a proper Deus Ex sequel. According to the director of Eidos France, Patrick Melchior, the plans to make that happen are already in motion.

In an interview with French-language television station, MusiquePlus (translated by IGN), Melchior asserts that the publisher's new Montreal studio has made its "first mission" an attempt to revitalize the Deus Ex franchise. It's awfully tempting to suggest a remake of the original, but that very thought seems like an insult to what the game meant to accomplish. Still, this seven year-old game would put many modern titles to shame.

[Via Xbox 360 Rally, IGN]