Without The X-Files There Would Be No Deus Ex

thegamer.com:

For conspiracy theorists, early internet forum dwellers, and highly-strung paranoiacs everywhere, The X-Files wasn't just a cult TV show about a pair of FBI agents investigating the supernatural—it was validation. Suddenly, outlandish concepts like secret societies, alien abductions, and livestock-eating monsters were circulating in the mainstream, and in one of the biggest TV shows in the world no less. Military cover-ups and UFO sightings became watercooler talk, and distrust in the government was at an all-time high. This, combined with the fear of the looming millennium, made the late '90s a particularly paranoid time for humanity.

In 1997, at the height of X-Files fever, Austin-based game developer Ion Storm had an idea for a game. Called simply Shooter, it was described in an early design document as "near-future science fiction with elements of conspiracy theory, espionage, and X-Files weirdness." Like The X-Files, this game would be set in a dark, not-so-distant reality where every urban legend, conspiracy theory, and campfire tale was true. Back-engineered alien technology, shadowy groups manipulating the government, and Area 51 would all feature, venturing into the same territory as Mulder and Scully.

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This design document, which you can read online, is a fascinating glimpse into the making of what would eventually become classic immersive sim Deus Ex. As well as an exhaustive outline of the story (a lot of which changed dramatically during development), it also acts as a pitch. Selling the concept of the game, Ion Storm describes its intention to "Plug into two popular fantasies: the millennial madness