Sometimes a game loses its publisher's attention right after its release. Not just because of mediocre quality or poor financial performance, but perhaps due to a combination of circumstances: excessive expectations, marketing problems, an overloaded market, or simply an unfortunate moment for the release. But over the years, some of these games become cult classics, leaving behind a sense of unrealized potential. We were inspired by the recent cancellation of the Star Wars Outlaws sequel, despite the fact that the game has become noticeably better and has collected more positive reviews from players in the time since its release. This is a perfect illustration of projects that grow in the eyes of the audience, but do not receive a sequel. Some of these games hinted at a sequel right in the finale, some simply left behind a world that you would like to return to. But this chance never came. So here is our, probably very incomplete, selection of such games. We are confident that readers will be happy to add to it with their own games that they would like to see continued.
Advent Rising
Platforms Windows, Xbox
Genre action/adventure
Year 2005
Advent Rising was planned as a trilogy with the support of authors from the film industry and literature - in particular, science fiction writer Orson Scott Card. The story of the chosen one, space races, superpowers and epic conflict had the potential for a great sci-fi saga. But technical problems, unrealized ambitions and low sales put an end to the sequel. Players still remember the music, aesthetics and scale of the game and miss the series, which could have reached the scale of Mass Effect even before Mass Effect itself appeared.
Anachronox
Platforms Windows
Genre role-playing game
Year 2001
Uneven, absurdly ambitious, and charming in its imperfection, Anachronox combined cyberpunk irony with an intergalactic JRPG-style epic. Built on the Quake II engine, it juxtaposed technical limitations with an unexpectedly lively world, a witty script, and a leisurely but original plot structure. The game's finale leaves a frank cliffhanger, as if it were the first part of a grand saga. But due to Ion Storm's financial difficulties, a sequel never happened. And now Anachronox is a reminder of what Western RPGs could be if they allowed themselves more madness.
You can read some of the problems during the creation of Anachronox in the book Masters of Doom by David Kushner.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Platforms Windows
Genre role-playing game
Year 2001
The world of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura exists at the crossroads of eras, where industrialization meets magic, and social transformations shape politics, religion, and technology. The player doesn't just travel – he explores social structures, racial discrimination, and transhumanism. Arcanum offered unprecedented flexibility in character creation and questing, but its technical state and complex combat system became a barrier at the start. It is now considered a cult, but the Troika studio no longer exists. Its ideas were left without an heir.
Ukrainian studio Dreamate is trying to create a spiritual successor to Arcanum – New Arc Line, but the publisher of this game, unfortunately, is Fulqrum Publishing, a new entity of Russian 1C Entertainment.
Beyond Good & Evil
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
Genre: Action/Adventure
Year 2003
It is now Beyond Good & Evil and its heroine, the green-eyed photojournalist Jade, are considered iconic. However, upon release, the game fell victim to poor marketing, unclear positioning, and an unfortunate choice of release date during a period that was saturated with releases. It did not fit into the trends of its time, but later became a symbol of "lost masterpieces." A sequel was announced repeatedly. First as a direct sequel, then as a prequel. But after almost twenty years since the original was released, it still does not exist.
In 2023, Ubisoft re-released the game in HD format in honor of its 20th anniversary, adding support for modern platforms and developer comments. And Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition turned out to be really cool. But Beyond Good & Evil 2 still remains a promise: a world that we would like to return to, but which is stuck in the limbo of the gaming industry. Ubisoft claims that the development of the sequel is still ongoing, but players don’t seem to believe it anymore.
Binary Domain
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre third-person shooter
Year 2013
Binary Domain offered an unexpectedly rich story about artificial intelligence, robot rights, and humanity against the backdrop of a spectacular third-person shooter with team tactics. The game combined a Japanese narrative with Western action and even had an advanced, for that time, voice command recognition system. But due to the lack of a powerful advertising campaign and the saturation of the market with a bunch of similar third-person shooters, it passed by the mass player. Today, Binary Domain is remembered as one of the most interesting sci-fi action games of its generation with the potential for a continuation of the series that we never saw.
Bloodborne
Platforms PlayStation 4
Genre action/RPG
Year 2015
Bloodborne is soulslike at its most atmospheric. The game combines the familiar mechanics of the series with a more aggressive combat style, gothic horror, Lovecraftian creatures, and a narrative that slowly unfolds through hints, objects, and locations. The streets of Yharnam are not just a battlefield, but a symbol of fall, obsession, and twisted faith.
The game was called a masterpiece, it received rave reviews and a large fan base. Later, The Old Hunters expansion was released, which expanded the lore and combat system, but a direct sequel never appeared. FromSoftware focused on other projects (Sekiro, Elden Ring), and Sony did not initiate the development of the franchise. A remaster on PlayStation 5 or a release on PC still remains one of the biggest dreams of players. The world of Bloodborne cries out for lost potential, and the silence in response only strengthens the cult status of this game.
Bulletstorm
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3/4, Xbox 360/One, Nintendo Switch
Genre shooter
Year 2011
Bulletstorm was a hyperbolic explosive action game with a skillshot system, where the player received points for each creative kill. It was a satire on shooters and a celebration of the genre's absurdity. Although the game was praised for its style, gameplay, and visuals, it sold poorly. The People Can Fly team was sent on to other projects, and the sequel was canceled.
After the studio bought the rights to the game, a re-release of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition was released in 2017 with updated graphics, bonuses, and a new voice for Duke Nukem. For fans, this became a symbolic hope for the return of the series, although there has been no official announcement of a sequel yet. Bulletstorm remains a vivid example of how an unconventional approach does not always find its audience in time.
Days Gone
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5
Genre action/adventure, survival
Year 2019
Days Gone is a post-apocalyptic world, a motorcycle, a road and thousands of "freaks" approaching like an avalanche. The game had technical flaws at the start, but it was loved for its atmosphere, story and open world. Despite good sales, Sony did not give the green light to a sequel due to restrained reviews from critics and the high cost of development. Over time, the game's reputation grew, especially after its release on PC. In 2025, a full remaster for PlayStation 5 and a separate add-on for PC with new modes and technical improvements were released. For many fans, this looks like an attempt to remind about the game and, perhaps, draw attention to its potential again. Days Gone is one of the most high-profile losses of a potential series in recent years.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre action/adventure
Year 2010
A reimagining of the Chinese classic "Journey to the West" in a post-apocalyptic setting. Enslaved offered a gripping story of the relationship between two surviving heroes, Monkey and Trip, among the ruins of an old world overgrown with greenery. Beautiful, lively, emotional, it had its own style, but was a commercial failure. Ninja Theory moved on to other projects, the Devil May Cry and Hellblade series, and Enslaved remained a lonely memory of a game that combined blockbuster and humanity.
Prey
Platforms Windows, Xbox 360
Genre shooter
Year 2006
Prey from 2006 was an unexpected mix of space horror, Native American mythology and innovative level design. The player found himself aboard a living alien ship, where gravity changed, portals opened, and the hero could leave his body and act in the spirit world. The game impressed with its atmosphere and mechanics, ahead of many modern titles. But the Human Head studio did not get the opportunity to make a sequel, and the rights were transferred to Bethesda.
2017's Prey was originally intended as a direct sequel, but a change of studio saw the process restarted from scratch. The result was a completely different project—a deep and complex immersive sim from Arkane Studios that combined exploration, survival, and philosophical themes in an isolated space environment.
Both games, while vastly different in style and content, have garnered loyal fans. And that's why players are still waiting for a sequel to both the original Prey and Arkane's ideological successor. Part of the fan's hope is fueled by Mooncrash, a procedurally generated survival mode add-on to the 2017 game that expands the game's world and experiments with genres, but it reinforces the need for a true sequel rather than closing it.
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox
Genre shooter
Year 2004
Psi-Ops was one of the first shooters where telekinesis, mind control, and pyrokinesis weren't just gimmicks, but were an integral part of the gameplay. The player could lift enemies into the air, throw objects, and make opponents shoot at each other - all based on real physics. It was a game that combined spectacular action with a superpower fantasy like X-Men. Although Psi-Ops received positive reviews for its innovation, gameplay, and dynamics, the rights to the IP remained with Midway, which later went bankrupt. A sequel was planned but never released. And while the game has been mentioned on many lists of the best "forgotten" hits, there has been no official re-release or sequel. Psi-Ops remains an example of how a game can become iconic thanks to its unique mechanics, but get lost in legal and corporate labyrinths.
Quantum Break
Platforms Windows, Xbox One
Genre action/adventure
Year 2016
Quantum Break was an ambitious project from Remedy that combined a game with an interactive TV series. Its main mechanic, time manipulation, turned fights into spectacular choreography with bullet freezing and jerks in space. The game had everything: a plot with time paradoxes, cinematic presentation, and even actors from the TV series, such as Sean Ashmore and Lance Reddick. But despite relatively good sales, Microsoft did not show any desire to develop the brand - the company bet on other franchises. Remedy focused on Control, which grew into its own universe. For many fans, Quantum Break remains a story that could have grown into something more and gone beyond video games, but remained a solitary experiment.
Remember Me
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre action/adventure
Year 2013
Remember Me had everything to become a new hit: futuristic Paris, memory manipulation, deep social subtexts and a heroine who seeks to restore the stolen past. The game was distinguished by its original mechanics of remixing memories, where the player literally changed the course of events in the minds of others. But the combat system did not live up to the standards of the genre, and Capcom's marketing was minimal. As a result, the publisher was disappointed and refused to continue. However, the game found its own niche and became a starting point for the Don't Nod studio, which later created Life is Strange - another project about memory, choice and personal tragedy.
Singularity
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre shooter
Year 2010
Singularity was Raven Software's attempt to step out of the shadow of Call of Duty (they helped with multiplayer and support at the level of tools and content for Call of Duty: Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2) and create something of their own. The player is transported to the Soviet island of Katorga-12, where experiments with the element E-99 have caused rifts in time. The main feature of the game was the Time Manipulation Device - a device that allows you to manipulate time, aligning enemies, restoring objects or "rolling back" some events. The game skillfully mixed ideas from BioShock, Half-Life and other projects about time manipulation, creating an atmospheric and unexpectedly diverse action game with several endings. But Activision released Singularity with almost no advertising campaign, which is why it went unnoticed. Over time, the project became a cult, but the studio was reoriented to a supporting role in the Call of Duty franchise and forgot about a possible sequel.
Spec Ops: The Line
Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre third-person shooter
Year 2012
At first glance, Spec Ops: The Line seems like another military action game in the spirit of Modern Warfare. But after a few chapters it becomes clear: this game is not about heroism, but about moral decay, trauma and choices without the right answers. Inspired by "Apocalypse Now" and "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, it transports the player to a storm-ravaged Dubai, where war "eats away" the mind of the main character. The straightforward gameplay contrasts with the increasingly dark story, and this is what creates discomfort. The game received critical acclaim, but failed in sales. 2K decided not to return to the series, and the Yager studio disappeared from the radar for a long time after that. Today, Spec Ops: The Line is considered one of the strongest anti-war statements in the media and at the same time a game that was not allowed to become more than a one-off experiment.
The Order: 1886
Platforms PlayStation 4
Genre third-person shooter
Year 2015
The Order: 1886 was a technical showcase for the PlayStation 4. It was a cinematic, meticulously detailed game with seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay. The alternate London with Order knights, werewolves, and steampunk weapons made a strong impression. But the game was criticized for its short duration, primitive gameplay, and lack of flexibility. The finale hinted at big events ahead, but instead of the planned trilogy, Sony decided not to return to the franchise. And the Ready at Dawn studio moved on to work on VR projects under the wing of Meta, and was closed in 2024. The Order is now remembered as one of the most ambitious early experiments of the PlayStation 4 generation that failed to live up to expectations. And at the same time, as a game whose world deserved a second chance.
The Saboteur
Platforms PlayStation 4
Genre action/adventure
Year 2009
The Saboteur was the latest project from Pandemic, the studio known for Battlezone II: Combat Commander, the original Star Wars: Battlefront, and Mercenaries. The player found himself in Nazi-occupied Paris as an Irish racer who joined the French Resistance. The game was impressive in its atmospheric stylization: the areas under Nazi control were monochrome, and with the liberation, colors, life, and music gradually returned. The gameplay combined parkour, shooting, stealth, and the destruction of key enemy objects. This is what a conventional Assassin's Creed: Résistance could look like.
Despite its artistic boldness and intriguing setting, The Saboteur was released at a time when EA was shutting down Pandemic. As a result, the game was rushed to completion, plagued by technical issues, and support was cut almost immediately after release. Sales were modest, but over the years The Saboteur has gained cult status thanks to its visual concept and original approach to the theme of resistance. It's another story that deserves a sequel.
The gaming industry is primarily a business, and it dictates its own rules. Often they destroy the dreams and fantasies of both the developers themselves and the players who are waiting to return to their favorite game worlds. And there are many more such cases than are collected in this material. What games' sequels have you been waiting for, but never got - write in the comments.