Questions
When did Deus Ex come out and who made it?
Deus Ex was released for PC on June 23, 2000, developed by the Austin studio Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive.
Who directed and designed the original game?
It was produced and directed by Warren Spector, with Harvey Smith as lead designer and Sheldon Pacotti as lead writer.
Who is the main character?
You play as JC Denton, a cybernetically enhanced anti-terrorism agent working to uncover a sprawling global conspiracy.
When and where is the game set?
It takes place in a dystopian cyberpunk year 2052, with a plot that pulls in shadowy factions like the Illuminati and Majestic 12.
What kind of game is it?
It blends action RPG, first-person shooter, and stealth, and is often held up as the definitive example of the immersive sim genre.
What engine did Deus Ex run on?
It was built on Unreal Engine 1, and its main theme reportedly came from unused music left over from the Unreal project.
How was the game received by critics?
The PC version holds a 90 out of 100 on Metacritic, and it collected over 30 Best of awards in 2001 alone, including a BAFTA for PC Game of the Year.
How much voice dialogue is in the game?
The game reportedly contained roughly 150,000 lines of voiced dialogue, with actor Jay Anthony Franke voicing both JC and his brother Paul Denton.
What content got cut from the final game?
Planned but cut features reportedly included a female version of JC Denton plus levels set in the White House, Russia, and a space station.
Is it true the marketing crashed a government website?
Reportedly the team created a fake UNATCO government website as a marketing stunt, which drew traffic that crashed actual government servers.
What were the game’s original working titles?
Early working titles reportedly included Troubleshooter and Shooter: Majestic Revelations before it became Deus Ex.
Where did the idea come from?
Warren Spector reportedly drew inspiration from a 1978 Dungeons & Dragons session with author Bruce Sterling for its player-driven storytelling, alongside games like Half-Life, Thief, and GoldenEye 007.
How well did Deus Ex sell?
It had sold over 1 million copies worldwide as of April 2009, and reached ELSPA Gold status for surpassing 200,000 UK sales.
Was there a sequel?
Yes, the sequel Deus Ex: Invisible War followed in 2003, and the series went on to become an influential franchise.
How big was the development team?
Pre-production was reportedly about six months with six people, expanding to a roughly 28-month full production with around 20 people.
