Deus Ex is simply so rattling nice. I do know we are saying that lots round right here, however you possibly can by no means say it sufficient, so I am saying it once more: Deus Ex is nice. One of many biggest ever. And one of the distinctive parts of that greatness is its soundtrack, which like the sport itself is nice. It is so core to the expertise, in actual fact, that when Eidos Montreal dropped the 2010 teaser telling the world that Deus Ex was again, it included the unforgettable opening bars of the Deus Ex theme tune.
You’ll be able to hear it kick in on the 40 second mark—and consider me, when that shit hit, it was like a bomb going off. I nonetheless get all a-tingly after I hear it.
(Here is the total theme tune, in case you’re not accustomed to it. Soak it in.)
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When Deus Ex: Human Revolution dropped, although, Deus Ex composer Alexander Brandon was not the person behind the music. The job was dealt with as an alternative by Michael McCann. In an interview with PC Gamer’s Wes Fenlon, Brandon defined that Eidos Montreal, which had taken over the collection, wished to place its personal stamp on it, and whereas he was given a shot at contributing a tune to the soundtrack, it simply did not work out.
“The message from the start was very clear that the Montreal staff was going to personal Deus Ex. The franchise was theirs,” Brandon stated. “They consulted with folks like Chris Norden, the unique programmer, and Warren [Spector] and a bunch of different folks. They’d conversations. But it surely was like, that is going to be an Eidos Montreal produced and created undertaking and collection now.”
Brandon stated Human Revolution audio director Steve Szczepkowski gave him a chance to do a remake of the unique Deus Ex title theme, with the thought of enjoying it over the tip credit to tie Human Revolution, which is a prequel, to the unique sport. So he did compose a observe and ship it in—however Szczepkowski determined that what Brandon got here up with wasn’t “the precise match,” a call Brandon says that he agrees with in hindsight.
“If I had been Steve and I had extra time, I may need gone, ‘Okay, let’s all get on a name.’ As a result of there’s audio administrators I’ve labored with that sit down they usually go, ‘Okay, this is the deal, this is the imaginative and prescient for this, right here is how we deal with instrumentation, this is some element work with out telling you methods to do your job,’ proper? We did not actually have that [time]. He simply stated, ‘Take this ball, run with it.’ And generally that is superb. It simply did not work in that case.”
Brandon really sounds extra dissatisfied by Deus Ex: The Fall, the cell spinoff that launched in 2013 and stumbled onto PC the next 12 months—presumably as a result of he did not even get a shot at that one. Deus Ex: The Fall inventive director Jeffrey Birns initially invited Brandon to attain the entire thing, however Eidos Montreal “stepped in and stated, nope, it is gonna be Mike McCann,” Brandon stated.
“And I used to be similar to, I am unhappy. I do not like this. I might have even, you recognize, styled the music to mix with Mike McCann. And at that time I may have accomplished a superb job, however that is simply the best way the cookie crumbled.”
I really feel dangerous for Brandon, as a result of the Deus Ex soundtrack is so rattling nice, however I can not be overly important of the choice as a result of Michael McCann’s work on Human Revolution is, properly, additionally nice: Concurrently completely different and distinct from the unique, however nonetheless very Deus Ex. Here is the Human Revolution theme for functions of comparability, and it is nice, though my private favorite has all the time been the grinding beat of Hung Hua Brothel:
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For the report, Brandon does not appear to carry any arduous emotions about it, and he stated Szczepkowski was “throwing [him] a bone” with the Human Revolution supply anyway. “I’ve obtained plenty of respect for Steve, he is very nice, actually respectful,” Brandon stated. “He did say, ‘Simply so you recognize, you’ve got had your highlight, and that is Mike’s flip.’ And I am like, dude, he is accomplished tv! I am a poor sport composer! And sure, I labored on large titles—in 2000. We’re years later now!”
It is comprehensible Brandon would need all of the work he can get. He is added quite a few credit within the years since Deus Ex, together with on some very large video games. However he stated in the identical interview that he is submitted 50 resumes since being laid off from Stormgate maker Frost Big in 2025, and gotten one interview. It is brutal on the market.
