The Unexpected Start: How Deus Ex Almost Turned into a Command & Conquer Game
The first Deus Ex game is known as a major hit that changed the RPG kind of play. But its start was not at all set in stone. The man who made the game, Warren Spector, has told how hard it was to find the money for it. This tough spot very nearly made his game part of the Command & Conquer set.
Spector’s Idea for a New Type of Game
In his days at Origin Systems in the 1990s, Warren Spector got sick of the same old story plots like space troops and magic users. He thought up a new idea called Troubleshooter, a game about a strong cop in a dark, bad future. Even though he loved this plan, the folks in charge didn't buy it.
A Hard Choice towards the C&C World
Backed into a corner with no trust in his game, Spector had to look for cash in odd spots. He got close to changing his main thoughts to fit into a big, known game name.
“I was about set to join with Westwood to craft a role-play game named Command & Conquer," Spector noted. "The idea was to mix genre types and choose-your-player bits from Troubleshooter and move them to the C&C world."
A Last Second Save by John Romero
Just as the Command & Conquer deal was about done, a good chance came up. John Romero, who just left id Software and got a big fund from Eidos Interactive for his new place, ION Storm, called Spector. Romero took on Spector's work and let him do what he wished, a free hand to make his dream game.
This work came out as Deus Ex. It was the top-hit game for ION Storm and stood the test of time as a classic, while Romero’s own big-wait game, Daikatana, sadly did not do well.