Ready at Dawn's co-founder, Andrea Pessino, recently revealed that Sony rejected a sequel to their PlayStation 4 title, The Order: 1886, citing the original game's lukewarm critical reception. Despite this, Pessino claims Ready at Dawn pitched a compelling sequel, even expressing a willingness to accept unfavorable terms to bring it to fruition.
In an interview with MinnMax, Pessino described the proposed sequel as "incredible," stating the team would have "signed [their] life away" to develop it for the fans. The Order: 1886, released in 2015, boasted stunning visuals but received mixed reviews, primarily criticizing its limited gameplay.
Pessino acknowledged the challenging relationship with Sony during the original game's development. Meeting Sony's high graphical expectations, initially set by impressive early demos, proved difficult, leading to payment delays when Ready at Dawn prioritized other aspects of development. While Pessino noted this is common practice for third-party publishers, the experience created tension. Despite this, the team was prepared to endure a significantly worse situation to create a sequel.
"We were going to do it just because we wanted to deliver it to the players," Pessino explained, "but we would have been... Terrible budget, budget would be small, we would have been completely at the mercy of any decisions... because we had no leverage whatsoever."
He emphasized the strong foundation laid for a sequel, stating that "All of the groundwork was really, really good... There was so much there that just needed to be built on." The original game's cliffhanger ending further fueled fan demand for a continuation.
However, those hopes were ultimately extinguished with Ready at Dawn's closure by parent company Meta in 2024. The lack of a sequel leaves a significant void for fans, especially considering IGN's 6/10 review which highlighted the game's "stylish adventure" but criticized its "crippling cost of gameplay freedom."
