Deus Ex GO, along with a handful of other mobile titles, will be removed from the App Store and the Google Play Store in the coming days, after Embracer Group shut down Studio Onoma at the start of this month. Though the popular Hitman GO and Lara Croft GO were excluded from the announcement, implying their possible continuation, it's a significant blow to fans of the doomed games and the developers who built them.
Deus Ex GO developer, Studio Onoma, formerly Square Enix Montreal, was renamed after Embracer Group purchased it earlier this year, along with a host of other studios. However, Studio Onoma specialized in mobile efforts, and Embracer stated that it planned to shift away from mobile and focus instead on console games. As a result, Studio Onoma was shut down in early November. Until recently, the fate of its games has been in question, many of which are part of popular franchises, like Deus Ex GO.
On November 22, the developer's Twitter account made an announcement regarding Studio Onoma mobile properties. It revealed that several of its titles would soon disappear from mobile stores. Deus Ex GO, Hitman Sniper: The Shadows, Arena Battle Champions, and Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes will all be leaving the App Store and the Google Play Store on December 1. Further, as of January 4 of next year, those titles will no longer be accessible to players who already have them downloaded. The post also stated that in-game purchases have already ceased. It encouraged fans to make use of any purchases they had previously made, making it clear that no refunds would be offered.
Killing These Mobile Games is Troublesome for Video Game Preservation
Embracer has made it evident that it's no longer interested in making new mobile games. Studio Onoma was canned and its staff either transitioned to other Embracer studios or were let go. It's certainly the company's prerogative to pursue the path it thinks best. Yet, it appears there's some wiggle room in this policy, as two of Onoma's most successful titles were not part of the announcement. It seems the four games mentioned simply didn't make the cut.
What stands out here is that these games aren't all multiplayer games. They may need an online connection to play, but their gameplay doesn't actually require it. Deus Ex GO is a great example, and games like it could absolutely be played with no connectivity. True, the teams that maintained these games are moving on, but instead of opting for a path that would salvage them, albeit without ongoing support, Embracer has chosen to drop them entirely. These are games that people have chosen to invest time and money into. Now all that is lost, and Embracer has ensured that no one will be getting any of their money back for any in-game purchases.
The fate of Square Enix Montreal's former properties have been in limbo since its acquisition by Embracer Group, yet there seemed to be hope, as Embracer only recently renamed the developer to Studio Onoma. Changing a name just before shutting down a studio is an odd move, no matter how one looks at it. If fans were concerned about the future of their games after the acquisition, the move to rename the studio should have been a clear sign that the company was invested in maintaining it.
The video game industry is notorious for its widespread lack of concern for its own preservation. But cases like this hurt more than others, especially after Embracer built a games archive, ostensibly to preserve the content therein. The move to end Onoma's projects weakens that initiative, making it appear more like a publicity stunt than a genuine attempt at chronicling video game history.
Some of the disappearing Studio Onoma games could still exist without connectivity and maintenance, some of them have received a lot of player investment, and all of them have worth beyond their dollar value. They are pieces of gaming history, however small, and they are creations that many developers poured their blood, sweat, and tears into. Huge companies like Embracer must understand that when games like these are gone forever, what's lost is more than just a piece of software.
Deus Ex GO is available on Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, and Windows 10 Mobile. It will be leaving iOS and Android on December 1, 2022.