Deus Ex: Invisible War’s audio director says ‘there was room for improvement,’ but remains proud of the team’s work | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Gaming Industry It’s brutal out there: Deus Ex and Unreal composer says he’s submitted 50 resumes and gotten one interview in the last year RPG Zero Parades devs knew they didn’t want to make another cop game after Disco Elysium: ‘How people think of the police these days, it’s a bit different’ Action After feedback that Death Stranding was ‘too slow,’ Kojima wanted more players to see Death Stranding 2 all the way through to the end Action Crimson Desert’s soundtrack is criminally inoffensive but that hasn’t stopped one song from driving me insane Action Death Stranding 2 review: Catharsis in the age of the algorithm Games Deus Ex: Human Revolution could’ve had a track from the original game’s composer but it was rejected for not being the ‘right fit,’ and in hindsight he says they were right FPS Were PC gamers right to take against Syndicate’s FPS reboot? Only one man with an ancient disc copy can find out Action Pragmata’s director appreciates all the comments likening it to an Xbox 360 game of old: ‘I’m someone who’s got a lot of happy experiences and memories from that generation’ Strategy In defense of XCOM: Chimera Squad RPG Disco Elysium writers marvel at how a game made ‘in a f**king squalid flat’ in Estonia had such a huge impact, and welcomes successors like Esoteric Ebb: ‘We make games, but we also like them’ RPG The new game from Disco Elysium’s studio feels like the first Christmas after your parents’ divorce RPG ZA/UM doesn’t want ‘to invite too many comparisons’ to Disco Elysium with new game Zero Parades—’We didn’t feel like we wanted to repeat our greatest hits’ FPS The co-creators of Caves of Qud, our favorite roguelike fever dream, worked as narrative consultants on Marathon—which mostly meant they ‘got to sit there in the room and throw completely absurd ideas at the wall’ RPG Bethesda steps in again to calm down hype around Starfield news next week, saying Todd Howard’s EA College Football 26 skills are his ‘only visionary power’ FPS Deus Ex’s maligned sequel was the most 2026 game of 2003: It clocked the 21st century even harder than Metal Gear Solid 2 PopularSpring SaleClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearQuizzes Games Sim Deus Ex: Invisible War Deus Ex: Invisible War’s audio director says ‘there was room for improvement,’ but remains proud of the team’s work News By Jody Macgregor published 29 March 2026 “It wasn’t this ’90s cyberpunk Johnny Mnemonic cheese fest that everybody reveled in at that time.” When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Eidos Interactive) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter After serving as a composer on the original Deus Ex, and contributing some voices, Alexander Brandon was made audio director on its sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War. The second game in the series has long been divisive, and was Brandon’s first time as an audio director. As he told PC Gamer’s Wes Fenlon in a recent interview, “There was room for improvement, I will just put it that way.”Brandon remains pleased with a lot of the team’s work, however. “As far as the content goes, I think we did really, really well,” he said. “I’m proud of the main theme. My now ex-wife did the vocals on it, and did an amazing job on that. And I was given a little more freedom to express thematic, melodic stuff, even though it was muted in comparison to the original main theme. It wasn’t this ’90s cyberpunk Johnny Mnemonic cheese fest that everybody reveled in at that time.”One of Invisible War’s strongest areas is its factions, with players encouraged to join them, betray them, and play them off against each other. Each needed its own mood, and the aim was to tell a more complicated story even if the systems were simpler. “We have more fidelity, and the story is gonna be a lot more intricate,” as Brandon put it, “but it’s going to be a bit darker, even though the art was a little lighter in some ways—a lot of ways really. But it was supposed to have a more serious tone and a more immersive tone. I really like the soundtrack for what it is.”Article continues below You may like Deus Ex: Human Revolution could’ve had a
Deus Ex: Invisible War's audio director says 'there was room for improvement,' but remains proud of the team's work
Deus Ex: Invisible War's audio director says 'there was room for improvement,' but remains proud of the team's work