According to an Engadget report, the forthcoming ‘Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’ game will bring a significant, though subtle, change to the cyberpunk-themed game franchise --- it will feature women in combat roles.

The revelation that ‘Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’ game will feature female combatants was made by the game’s producer Olivier Proulx at the ongoing E3 event in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Proulx said that the earlier game ‘Deus Ex: Human Revolution’ also featured women, but they were mostly removed from the battles.

With regard to the role of women in the ‘Deus Ex: Human Revolution’ game, Proulx said: "They (women) had some social functions in the game world, but actually going into stealth and playing against them in combat, you didn't see that …. It was just guys all the way through."

However, the upcoming ‘Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’ game – which is scheduled for launch in early 2016 - will bring about a change. The game will have women on the front lines.

Noting that the change underscores Mankind Divided game’s emphasis on the role of women in games, Proulx said: “We have females as well, female characters that you can interact with. In a Deus Ex game, you don't have to kill everyone -- so we call them 'combatants' but we could say they're just NPCs in the environment.”