5 canceled Square Enix games that could be revived given Embracer Group's acquisition of western studios

In a recent surprise move, Japanese publisher Square Enix sold the Western studios under them (as well as all affiliated franchises) to Embracer Group. The latter has emerged as the biggest game publisher in Europe, with over 70 game studios under their belt. IPs like Deus Ex and Tomb Raider will be joining renowned names such as Darksiders and Saints Row.

Game development is a long and arduous process, so no wonder some games never see the light of day. This acquisition is a great opportunity for games that failed to come to fruition during conception. These could potentially come to current consoles and PC.

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1) Deus Ex: The Fall 2

Initially released in 2013 for iOS, Deus Ex: The Fall was a smaller but faithful rendition of the formula introduced in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Acting as a prequel to Eidos Montreal's 2011 stealth cyberpunk game, it follows Ben Saxon dealing with a shortage of the implant compatibility drug Neuropozyne while hiding from the Illuminati.

The adventure quickly turns into a global conspiracy, as is the norm for the series and features gameplay similar to Human Revolution. It is on a simpler scale, including levels, AI, combat, augmentations, and so on.

The game ends on a disappointing cliffhanger which was supposed to be rectified with future episodes. Unfortunately, the failure of the game to penetrate the mobile market ensured Square Enix halted further development.

The Fall is still worth playing on PC for fans of the genre as it is a fairly competent game despite its mobile roots.

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2) Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun

Square Enix's Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver are some of the most underrated games. With a small but dedicated following, fans have been demanding a successor for a while now. Which they almost got in 2012 as Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun.

The PS3/360/PC Unreal Engine 3 game was said to expand upon the roots of Soul Reaver and Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series with an open world, dungeons, bosses, and ability-driven progression. Gameplay was also highlighted with gruesome, gory combat and a dimension-shifting mechanic.

Narratively, it was set a long time after the last entry, Legacy of Kain: Defiance and featured a new vampire Gein and a human character, Asher. It was a reboot in some ways, but too bad the game was canned despite being three years in production at Climax Studios. Fans have since expressed an interest in seeing it return.

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3) Tomb Raider: Ascension

Tomb Raider (2013) is one of the most memorable entries in Square Enix's iconic action-adventure series. However, it was initially intended to be a survival horror game titled Tomb Raider: Ascension.

It takes a deep dive into the supernatural as protagonist Lara Craft accompanies a young girl Izumi through an island infested with spirits and monsters.

Early development footage from ex-Square Enix developer Crystal Dynamics highlights some of the elements that would have been featured. This includes a physics model interacting with a flamethrower, grotesque enemies, and horse riding.

The latter is demonstrated via a tense chase sequence featuring a giant monster. The combat, meanwhile, would have been far more acrobatic than the final product, almost reminiscent of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a manner with one-on-one fights against bosses.

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4) Thief 4: Dagger of Ways

The underrated stealth series was intended to get a "modern" reboot (Image via Ion Storm)

Square Enix's Thief series is influential for pushing the stealth envelope forward. The original entry, Thief: The Dark Project, offers players unprecedented freedom for 1998 standards.

While the series has fallen off the radar now, especially with the mediocre Thief reboot from Eidos Montreal, things looked slightly different. Ion Storm pitched their own Thief 4 before 2014's infamous reboot, subtitled Dagger of Ways.

As per the documents, this would be set in a modern-day setting, unlike the medieval theme of the originals. However, it would retain some mystical elements, like the titular Dagger.

This allows players to easily shift into a "wraith realm" to pass by guards in the real world, but this alternate dimension would boast horrors of its own in the form of deadly wraiths that multiply one kill made in the real world.

Things eventually became more complicated as Deus Ex: Invisible War and Thief: Deadly Shadows flopped, leading to this game's cancellation. An interesting concept that should get revisited in the future.

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5) Gex 4

The cheeky gecko has been dormant for a while now (Image via Crystal Dynamics)

The 90s were a goldmine for 3D platformers, and Gex was one of the many overlooked mascots. Square Enix's green gecko saw a few collection outings during the PlayStation era, and a fourth entry was planned for the PS2. Sadly, nothing substantial is known about the game's plot or gameplay. Only some concept art remains (pictured).

It is believed that key members leaving the project, the game never left the concept phase. As such, prototype footage of a build does not exist. Perhaps Embracer Group can do the series justice.

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Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.