Sony Rejects The Order: 1886 Sequel Over Reviews, Developer Claims

Apr 08,25

Andrea Pessino, co-founder of Ready at Dawn, revealed that Sony declined a sequel to the PlayStation 4 game, *The Order: 1886*, due to its lukewarm critical reception. Despite this, Pessino expressed that the team was passionate about creating an "incredible" sequel, stating they would have "signed [their] life away" to make it happen, purely for the fans. *The Order: 1886*, released in 2015, was an action game set in Victorian London with werewolves, and while it was praised for its stunning visuals, it received mixed reviews from critics.

Pessino emphasized the potential of the sequel, saying, "It would have been an incredible sequel, I can tell you that for a fact," though he was limited in what he could share due to not owning the franchise rights. Despite the initial game's poor reception, Ready at Dawn pitched the sequel to Sony, but it was rejected. Pessino suggested that it might have been for the best, as the conditions for making the sequel would have been even more challenging than the original.

The development of *The Order: 1886* was fraught with difficulties, as Ready at Dawn had a strained relationship with Sony. The team had to cut numerous elements to meet deadlines, resulting in the game being released before it was fully ready. Pessino noted that Sony's expectations for graphical fidelity, based on early pitches and reveals, led to withheld payments when the team couldn't maintain those standards due to other priorities.

Despite these challenges, Pessino said the team was willing to accept even worse conditions to create a sequel, driven by their desire to deliver for the players. "We were going to do it just because we wanted to deliver it to the players but we would have been... Terrible budget, budget would be small, we would have been completely at the mercy of any decisions and things because we had no leverage whatsoever," he explained. The team's lack of negotiating power meant they would have had to accept any terms Sony offered, but they were ready to do so to redeem the franchise.

*The Order: 1886* ended on a cliffhanger, leaving fans eager for a sequel. However, with Ready at Dawn being shut down by its owner, Meta, in 2024, those hopes have been extinguished. In IGN's review, the game received a 6/10, with the comment, "Though a stylish adventure, *The Order: 1886* emphasizes its cinematic polish at the crippling cost of gameplay freedom."

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