Deus Ex: Insurrection

Deus Ex: Insurrection was a proposed third main title of the Deus Ex series, following Deus Ex: Invisible War. Early concepts were developed at Ion Storm before the release of Invisible War. The Insurrection project formally entered preproduction in early 2004, but was cancelled later in the year when Warren Spector left the studio.

The game was proposed to be a prequel to the original Deus Ex, and would have featured a protagonist that was the father of Paul and JC Denton. Various names for the protagonist were proposed, including Blake Denton, Bryce Denton, and Adam Denton.

Development history
Development of Deus Ex: Insurrection was led by Art Min. A design document dated November 2003 details several early plot concepts under the working name Deus Ex 3. By February 2004, a revised plot concept was included as part of a game concept submission document (i.e., a game proposal) under the title Deus Ex: Insurrection. The proposed game was also known by the name "Deus Ex 3: Insurrection" in other documents. According to the game proposal, preproduction for Insurrection began January 2004, and the intended RTM (release to manufacturing) date at the time was September 1, 2005.

The game was later cancelled because Warren Spector left Ion Storm. Spector left Ion Storm in late 2004. Art Min also departed from Ion Storm shortly after. Deus Ex: Insurrection was never publicly announced, and its details were generally unknown to the public until a November 2014 Eurogamer article documenting what was described as Ion Storm's lost sequels.

While the project was cancelled, development of the third game of the series continued under a separate project, commonly known as Deus Ex 3, until Ion Storm was shut down in 2005. Two years later, in 2007, Eidos Montréal announced its own project, which eventually became Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Design concepts in the February 2004 proposal document

 * This section describes the contents of the February 2004 proposal for Deus Ex: Insurrection. For the precursor plot concepts, please see the article on Deus Ex: Insurrection early plot concepts.

Setting
In the year 2026, the United States is sinking into bankruptcy while patriots and globalists are vying for power. Other superpowers, namely Russia, China, the European Union, and Africa, have emerged and are placing pressure on the U.S.

Story
The protagonist is a Delta Force commando who will one day be the father of Paul and JC Denton. In the proposal document, the protagonist's name is "Blake Denton," although different names appear to have been proposed during the course of development.

The protagonist is the sole survivor of a mysterious explosion in Colombia that left his body exposed to a nanotechnological germ of uncertain origins. He is then recruited by CIA and is tasked with recovering extraterrestrial debris from the explosion site.

The Americans' attempt to seize the debris, which has been captured by Chinese forces, escalates into war between the U.S. and China in Latin America. Additional debris streaks through the earth's atmosphere, landing in Russia, Africa, and the EU and resulting in a scramble to secure the technological artifacts. As a result, the player must infiltrate many locations, including the impact sites, to gradually piece together the mystery.

Behind the scenes, the Illuminati has been playing the world's powers for its own gain. However, the young Illuminatus Bob Page intends to expose the entire organization in order to neutralize the Council of Five and bring Majestic 12 to power. Page has infected the protagonist's fiancé (who is carrying a clone of him, Paul Denton, in her womb) and most world leaders with an early version of the Gray Death virus, which only Page can cure.

During the game, the player has the option of siding with either the U.S. patriots or the EU globalists. If the player sides with the patriots, UNATCO becomes an arm of the U.S. military; otherwise, it becomes an international coalition as seen in Deus Ex. The player must also choose between empowering Page or neutralizing him. According to the proposal document, the game would include four possible endgames, including one that would "mesh perfectly" with the world of Deus Ex and lead directly to the events of that game.

Game flow
The player would have a "home base" serving as a bridge between missions. The purpose of the base would have been to anchor the narrative in the way that the UNATCO Headquarters anchored the narrative of the original Deus Ex. The home base would have a briefing room, rendezvous point, clinic, and armory, among other things.

Party building is described as an important part of game flow. The player would build an elite team that evolves over time. Team members would generally play a support role at the home base, although they may occasionally be involved with ground missions. Examples of team members include an ace hacker, a weapons specialist, a gung-ho marine, and a Chinese nanotech expert. Team management would be an element of party building. For example, certain team members may be more or less trustworthy depending on the circumstances.

Other known design concepts

 * Different names for the protagonist were proposed during the course of development.
 * "Bryce Denton" appears in an Ion Storm presentation slide.
 * "Adam Denton" appears in concept art.
 * The "home base" was reportedly planned to be a military transport aircraft, also described as an airship. The concept of an airborne base appears to be depicted in several pieces of concept art.