RIP Deus Ex Go

Although "Deus Ex" is best known for its genre-defining RPG on PC that kicked off the series in 2000, the world of "Deus Ex" has also leapt off computer screens onto mobile on multiple occasions via spin-off titles. For example, in 2016, the same year "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" debuted, Square Enix Montreal released "Deus Ex Go" for mobile and PC. "Deus Ex Go" broke from the standard "Deus Ex" gameplay, instead focusing on turn-based puzzle solving, where players control Adam Jensen as they overcome obstacles and dispatch foes.

"Deus Ex Go" is the most recent addition to the now discontinued "Go" series, following up 2014's "Hitman Go" and 2015's "Laura Croft Go." Although it followed a similar formula to the first two games, "Deus Ex Go" brought some exciting features, including a puzzle creation mode that let players build their own maps.

Although "Deus Ex Go" didn't reach the same level of acclaim as previous "Go" titles from critics (per IGN), one look at the game's App Store rating of 4.7/5 shows that gamers still enjoyed this addicting puzzle game. However, years after its release, "Deus EX Go" was delisted from the Microsoft Store, making the game mobile only. And now it is getting ripped from mobile, as well, leaving gamers with no way to play the puzzle spin-off.

Studio Onoma announced via Twitter that "Deus Ex Go" was among a list of four titles that will shut down on January 4 next year. Accompanying "Deus Ex Go" was "Hitman Sniper: The Shadows," "Arena Battle Champions," and "Space Invaders: Hidden Heroes." Following the announcement, in-game purchases were disabled in all four games. And on December 1, the game will be removed from mobile stores. But it seems this won't be a "Flappy Bird" scenario, where gamers can still play the game after it's removed from the store if it is already downloaded. Instead, according to the announcement, all players will lose access to the game on January 4.

This comes only a month after the "Go" series developer Square Enix Montreal was rebranded to Onoma after being purchased by Swedish-based video game company Embracer. And only a few weeks after the rebrand, the company announced it was closing up shop, affecting roughly 200 employees (per gameindustry.biz). Still, this is undoubtedly a disappointment to gamers who paid five dollars for the game just for it to turn into wasted space on their device eventually.