Eidos Montreal Unveils Dawn Engine for Next Deus Ex Games

Through a post on the studio’s official website, Eidos Montreal has announced the technology that will be powering their upcoming Deus Ex games (note that the plural is used in the blog post itself): the Dawn Engine. Heavily based on the Glacier 2 engine that powered Hitman: Absolution, it’s apparently designed to cater specifically to the developers’ needs:

In the past, we’ve relied on existing engines for our games. But in the end, we found that our creative vision was somehow limited. So we decided it was time for us to invest in creating an engine tailored for our needs.

The result of this work is the Dawn Engine. Based on a heavily modified version of IO Interactive’s Glacierâ„¢ 2 engine, it represents the beginning of a new era for us. Our ambition is to build upon and improve both the visual and immersive artistry in our games, whilst also strengthening both the gameplay and storytelling experiences we strive to create.

The blog post also includes an in-engine screenshot of an environment that closely matches the art direction of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, right down to the heavy gold and black color filter. The screenshot was apparently only taken to showcase the engine capabilities, and the post writer actively discourages fans from trying to read hints about the upcoming game in it.

Also of interest, the post attempts to clarify that the monicker “Deus Ex Universe” does not stand for a Deus Ex MMO, which is apparently not in the plans, but is only a shorthand for the setting’s transmedia offering:

Deus Ex Universe is the name we are giving to the fictional world and the rich lore we are creating for it, which will of course include core games, as well as any other projects that will help bring the world of Deus Ex to life. We won’t go into too much detail for now, but what we envision is for our projects do have meaningful ties to one another, in order for them to strengthen and deepen your experience within this Universe.

Alas, that’s all there is to it, and we still have to wait for a proper Deus Ex announcement, though hopefully not that much longer. It’s already been more than 3 years since the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, with only a DLC and an ill-received mobile game (Deus Ex: The Fall) to fill the wait.