Eidos Montreal has touched upon a very sensitive subject with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. This entry in the series is going to explore the discrimination people who are augmented face in society through the eyes of Adam Jensen, a man with many augmentations. The developer even referred to mechanical apartheid as one of the game’s themes. But a piece of concept art showing a banner referencing the “Black Lives Matter” movement has caused quite a bit of controversy.
Black Lives Matter is an activist movement against systematic racism, brought on by police brutality and the death of Trayvon Martin in 2013. It’s grown in scope and popularity due to subsequent killings, like Michael Brown’s death in 2014. Newly released Deus Ex: Mankind Divided concept art directly references the movement. A group of augmented individuals stand facing a group of people opposed to those who have their technological upgrades. A few hold a banner that reads, “Augs Lives Matters.” In the upper right corner, a number of people opposed to that notion hold signs saying, “Purity first!” and “Augs out!”
Since its release, some people have expressed concern about the image and what it means for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. There’s worry that it might not tactfully, respectfully, or adequately handle the issue. Given that the game is launching on August 23, we’ll be able to see sooner, rather than later, how well the idea of prejudice is (or isn’t) handled. Hopefully, the issue doesn’t make light of an important social issue.
Source: PC Gamer