Some of the greatest video game franchises of all time started out as individual titles with no plans for expansion or further projects. ThePortalseries, for example, received its second entry only after the massivesuccess of the firstPortalgame, and theSuper Monkey Ballfranchise was only meant to be played in arcades before its console port and sequels.
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Sequels can be risky for developers – fans expect them to surpass the original but also function as a continuation of that world. Sometimes, even the most highly anticipated sequels to the most well-known franchises stop development for any number of reasons.
8Among Us 2
Among Uswas out for nearly a year before it gained popularity thanks to content creators across the internet. It’s a simple enough game to scale up to mass audiences, but the developer InnerSloth said that the game’s loose code warranted a sequel.
Among Us 2was announced in late 2020 and then canceled only a month later, as the development team didn’t expect the original game tobecome a household name. Instead of making a whole new game, they focused their attention on improving old code and creating DLCs for their sudden hit.
7The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage
TheLegend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Couragewas meant to be a sequel toOracle of SeasonsandOracle of Timefor the Gameboy Color. It was in development at the same time and would have been released just a few months after the two Oracle games.
The game was canceled early into the development of the trilogy when the team decided to focus on two games instead of three. It was difficult to connect the three games' story together, and many of the assets and ideas that would have been inMystical Seed Of Courageare instead present inOracle of SeasonsandOracle of Time.
6Rainbow Six: Patriots
Rainbow Six: Patriotswas planned to be a little different from previous entries in theRainbow Sixfranchise. It would have featured quick-time events, interactive cutscenes, and would have been played at a muchslower pace than its predecessors.
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The game was canceled for two reasons: it was nearing the end of the Xbox 360’s lifetime and the fact that the game wasn’t true to theRainbow Sixseries. The game was canceled and many of its concepts and assets were re-used in the wildly successfulRainbow Six: Siege.
5Earthbound 64
Earthbound 64(also known asMother 3at the time) would have been the sequel toMotherandMother 2on the Nintendo 64. The game started development soon after the release of the former two titles, but there were several factors that halted its release.
The team was used to developing 2D games,and the 3D spacewas still a completely new world to many at the time. Additionally, the story suffered multiple changes over the game’s development, and eventually, the team deemedEarthbound 64too complex for the Nintendo 64’s capabilities.
4Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 3
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicand the sequel are regarded by many asthe bestStar Warsgamesever made. Although the gameplay is a little dated by today’s standards, the immersive worlds hooked players for two incredibly successful games.
The third entry in the series was progressing smoothly until LucasArts had a difficult financial period.The project was canceled, but there are rumors that a third entry in the series is once again under development at the newly-reformed LucasFilm Games.
3Silent Hills
Silent Hillsis perhaps one of the most infamous video game sequel cancellations of all time. TheSilent Hillfranchise was a smash horror hit that even got its own movie. Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro headed the project until its cancellation in 2015.
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After the release ofMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima and a number of upper development staff left Konami following several disputes. While they went on to found Kojima Productions, who releasedDeath Strandingin 2020,Silent Hillswas canceledin the wake of their departure.
2Project Titan
World of Warcrafthas been the king and grandaddy of the MMO genre for what feels like decades – perhaps that’s because itisnearly two decades old.For years, Blizzard teased the possibility of a completely new IP that would have been a “next-gen MMO” with the codenameProject Titan.
The project was canceled in favor of focusing onWorld of Warcraft, which was about to enter its peak playerbase, and becauseProject Titanwas too ambitious. The development team lost sight of the scope of the project, andTitanwas ultimately canned.
1Half-Life 2: Episode 3
ForgetHalf-Life 3, players who played the two DLCs forHalf-Life 2still have unfinished business. The ending ofHalf-Life 2: Episode 2was one of thebiggest cliffhangers everin a video game – and it was absolutely ripe for a sequel. Unfortunately, even thoughEpisode 3was planned, it was never released.
The reasons for this are numerous and enigmatic, butaccording to Valve, it was due to the scope of the project, the lack of creative drive among the team, and many developers' desire to move away from the original Source engine. The new Source engine debuted withHalf-Life: Alyxfor VR, perhaps opening the door to a true finale in Gordon Freeman’s story.
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