Picus Communications

Picus Communications is the corporate headquarters of the Picus Group located in Montreal, Canada. The Picus Group, which is composed of various different multimedia and entertainment companies, uses the Picus Communications building to house a number of these. Picus Web which develops and maintains Picus' websites is based here. Similarly Picus TV, known for its news program hosted by Eliza Cassan, operates primarily from this building.
==Background==
In 2010, the Picus Group moved its headquarters to Canada due to it being a relatively stable nation. It based its HQ, known as Picus Communications, in Montreal - a city that was developing into a hub for virtual entertainment.Uniting the World Picus obtained ownership of Montreal's Olympic Stadium and used the 'tower' section of the building for offices and broadcast facilities. The true owners of Picus, the Illuminati, also constructed a sub-basement under the building where secret projects could be carried out.
==Layout==
===Tower===
The tower is the only publicly known section of Picus Communications. Multiple offices, conference rooms and newsrooms are located here. This part of the building also contains the lobbies for Picus TV and Picus Web.
Picus TV's recording studios and newsrooms collectively contain the facilities to record, produce, and broadcast TV programs worldwide. These facilities include Newsroom 2, which features a news anchor's desk surrounded by cameras at the top of the room. A production studio overlooks the Newsroom, with another one just underneath it. The Picus Web section of the building is composed of a large, open room containing multiple workstations. Picus Web has a number of servers in the building, presumably to host the web services that they provide.
===Sub-basement===
The sub-basement can be accessed from the tower via a funicular. This funicular, constructed by the company CD, must descend 32 floors to reach the sub-basement. Upon exiting the funicular, various Illuminati symbols can be seen almost immediately, thus revealing the Illuminati's control over Picus. These symbols include the "All Seeing Eye" that is often associated with the society, as well as the "Invisible Hand" that appears to be on the verge of grasping the Earth.
This hidden facility contains additional offices and workstations belonging to employees who are dedicated to doing Picus' more underhanded work. Staff members working in this section of Picus Communications are instructed to intentionally spin and edit the news according to the desires of the Illuminati.
The Data Processing Area is located in the sub-basement. Here, screens showing "footage" of certain news stories can be seen. This "footage" is in fact completely fabricated as evidenced by image-editing software interfaces and the words "work in progress". These renders are presented by Picus as real news regardless. A peculiar holographic moon is located adjacent to the Data Processing Area. The function of this hologram is unknown but it is described by a staff member as being like "some Bond villain stuff" and a "seriously intense waste of money". A render of Moon Base Omega can be seen to the right of it, suggesting that it is used to create renders of the lunar surface.
Data Storage is another major section of the sub-basement. This area contains a super-computer that hosts the artificial intelligence known as Eliza Cassan. Eliza takes on the form of a human through holograms but in fact resides completely within this computer. Through this computer, Eliza monitors communications and data-streams in order to ensure that topics are discussed in the "correct" manner. If this is not the case, Eliza will reshape the truth during her news program that are broadcast directly from Picus Communications.
==Deus Ex: Human Revolution==
During the quest Confronting Eliza Cassan, Adam Jensen must visit the Picus Communications building. Shortly before Jensen's arrival, the occupants of the building were ordered to evacuate by someone high up in management. It is apparent that the Picus employees left in a hurry as spilled coffee and knocked over chairs can be seen throughout the tower.
Based on information given by Francis Pritchard, Eliza Cassan apparently resides in Room 404 in the Picus Web section of the tower. When Jensen investigates this room, he discovers that the Eliza he finds there is merely a hologram. The conversation with Cassan alerts a Belltower Spec Ops team to Adam's presence, causing them to begin searching for him. Additionally, the hologram of Eliza generates a spike of activity originating from an undocumented sub-basement. Jensen finds his way to the funicular that leads to this basement. However, as the funicular has to travel up 32 levels to reach him, Adam must ward off numerous Belltower soldiers in the meantime.
Eventually Adam reaches the sub-basement and after some searching, locates Eliza Cassan in room 802-11 of Data Storage. Cassan is not alone, however. She is being guarded by a member of the Tyrants; namely Yelena Fedorova. Eliza reveals her true nature to Adam but until Adam defeats Fedorova, she can tell him little else. A battle ensues with Jensen achieving victory and he thus receives the information he was looking for from Cassan.
== Trivia ==
* The Picus Tower is actually a currently existing building, known as Montreal's Olympic Stadium, which was built to hold the 1976's Olympics. It is possible that the buildings are one and the same in the game's universe as well, since in the sub-basement you can overhear two Belltower guards mentioning that the building has "some history" and that it was repurposed as Picus Tower sometime after 2015. Interestingly, the tower was partially repurposed in 2018 to hold offices for the Desjardins Group, the largest association of credit unions in North America.
*Picus Web's workspace seems to be entirely modeled after the New York Times newsroom. There are very few differences in architecture and desk positioning, to a point where it's highly unlikely for it to be coincidence.
* Curiously, the funicular that leads to the sub-basement shows that the 27th floor doesn't exist.
* The "Invisible Hand" located in the sub-basement is the symbol of the organization Majestic 12 which, during Human Revolution, is a subdivision of the Illuminati.
== Gallery==
Picus roof1.png|The roof, featuring numerous satellite dishes
Picus web desks.png|Picus Web workstations
Picus conference room.png|A conference room in the tower that was clearly evacuated quickly
Picus subbasement corridor.png|A corridor in the sub-basement with Illuminati symbols visible
MJ12hand-picusbasement.png|Majestic 12 statue in the Picus sub-basement
Picus subbasement moonholo.png|The holographic moon found in the sub-basement
Picus subbasement Eliza comp.png|Eliza's computer in room 802-11
Picus concept.jpg|Concept art of Picus Communications' roof
Picus concept 2.jpg|Concept art of Picus Web interior
Dx3 newsroom.jpg|Concept of Adam Jensen in the newsroom
Picus sub-base concept.jpg|Picus sub-basement concept art
Majestic 12 hand render.jpg|A 3D render of the "Invisible Hand"
==References==
it:Picus Communications
Category:Deus Ex: Human Revolution locations
Category:Illuminati