Andrea Pessino, co-founder of developer Ready at Dawn, revealed that Sony declined a sequel to the PlayStation 4 game *The Order: 1886* due to its lukewarm reception from critics. Despite this, Pessino expressed that the team was passionate about creating an "incredible" follow-up, stating they would have "signed their life away" to bring it to fruition for the fans. Launched in 2015, *The Order: 1886* was an action-packed adventure set in a Victorian London plagued by werewolves, and while it was lauded for its stunning visuals, it only received middling reviews.
Pessino confidently claimed that the proposed sequel "would have been incredible," though he was limited in what he could disclose due to not owning the franchise rights. He shared that despite the original game's critical reception, they pitched the sequel to Sony, suggesting that perhaps it was for the best that Sony passed on the project. He noted that if the original development was challenging, the sequel's circumstances would have been even more demanding.
The development of *The Order: 1886* was fraught with difficulties in Ready at Dawn's relationship with Sony. Pessino mentioned that the team had to cut numerous elements to meet deadlines, resulting in a game released before it was fully ready. Sony's expectations for graphical fidelity, set by early pitches and reveals, were not met at certain development milestones, leading to withheld payments and further strain on the relationship.
Despite these challenges being standard in the industry for third-party publishers, Pessino described the situation as frustrating. He admitted that the team was willing to accept even tougher conditions to develop a sequel, driven by a desire to deliver for the players. However, the budget constraints and lack of negotiating power would have left them vulnerable to unfavorable decisions.
Pessino lamented the lost opportunity, emphasizing the strong foundation laid by the original game that deserved further development. Fans of *The Order: 1886* were left hanging on a cliffhanger, and with Ready at Dawn being shut down by its owner Meta in 2024, any hopes for a sequel have been extinguished.
In IGN's review, the game received a 6/10, with the critique that while *The Order: 1886* offered a visually impressive experience, it prioritized cinematic polish over gameplay freedom, to its detriment.
