20 Amazing Games That Never Got Sequels

With the gaming industry currently in a more risk-averse, safe-playing place than it's arguably ever been, it is little surprise that publishers are doubling down on sure things, where just about every game that hits with players ends up getting a sequel. And so it's always surprising when a well-received game doesn't ever get some sort of follow-up, because to many, that might seem like leaving a whole lot of money on the table. And with all that in mind, I'm Josh from WhatCultureGaming and these are 20 amazing video games that never got sequels. First up, Bloodborne. FromSoftware's Bloodborne is one of the most acclaimed video games of the last decade plus, and not just in my house. And considering that the developer produced three Dark Souls games in just five years, many fans reasonably assumed that Bloodborne 2 would also arrive soon enough. But it's almost 11 years on and we're seemingly no closer to a Bloodborne sequel with From Software offering no official word on the matter while instead pressing on with other original standalone action games like Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring and the upcoming distinctly Bloodborne coded The Duskbloods. Some have theorized that From Software is reluctant to produce a Bloodborne sequel because Sony owns the IP, while former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida recently opined that it might simply be a case of creator Hidetaka Miyazaki being too busy with other projects. But honestly, at this point many would simply be happy to see Bloodborne, which remains a PS4 exclusive to this very day, remastered and ported to other platforms. Next up, L.A. Noire. Though certainly not without its flaws, L.A. Noire is one of the most distinctive and boundary-pushing video games of the 2010s, an ambitiously cinematic rockstar co-produced detective yarn that absolutely felt like the start of a wider franchise. Yet, in the near 15 years since L.A. Noire's launch, the only follow-up content we've had is an enhanced edition A VR port, both released in 2017. Even though the game was a sales hit, shifting 7.5 million units by 2017, a sequel has frustratingly never been produced. One highly probable reason for this is the dissolution of the lead studio Team Bondi less than six months after L.A. Noire's release, which occurred following reports of extreme crunch hours and general internal mismanagement, as apparently soured the relationship between the outfit and publisher Rockstar. And so, with the original team liquidated, the prospect of an L.A. Noire 2 became so so much more difficult, while Rockstar might simply prefer to focus I mean, if it's the choice between 7.5 million copies of L.A. Noire 2 or, like, 200 million copies of GTA 7. I suppose it's not a hard answer. Next up, Fez. Fez is one of the cornerstone titles of the indie gaming revolution of the early 2010s. An ingenious puzzle platformer which was wildly acclaimed for its incredible level design and has since influenced an untold number of titles. Fez's critical and commercial success led creator Phil Fish to announce a sequel at E3 2013, but just one month later, the game was abruptly cancelled, following a Twitter argument, yes, a Twitter argument, between Fish and video game journalist Marcus Beer. Fish concluded the spat by deriding the general air of negativity in the games industry and announcing his exit from games development. Effectively, cancelling Fez 2. The news of course sent shockwaves throughout the industry catching even Phish's own employees at studio Polytron totally off guard. And while many assumed that Phish would eventually resume development of Fez 2 after a cooling off period, over a decade later it still never materialised. In fact in a 2023 interview Phish claimed that he never had much And so the argument with beer Simply gave him an out to cancel it. All the same, considering the enduring love for the original game, there are still so many players who would love to see a follow-up happen. Next up, Vagrant Story. Among the utterly mind-boggling array of banger RPGs produced by Square Enix in the late 90s and early 2000s, there's Vagrant Story, which, while not nearly as popular as the Final Fantasy franchise, was still wildly acclaimed for its unique aesthetics and impressively nuanced combat mechanics. However, Vagrant Story remains a rarest of things from Square Enix, a true one-off game that hasn't had any sequels, spin-offs, remasters or remakes. Back in 2020, original director Yasumi Matsuno posted an outline of his proposed prologue for a potential Vagrant Story 2, but in the six years since, it's gained no serious momentum. The issue, inevitably, is that Vagrant Story sold a mere fraction of the Final Fantasy games, estimates placing it at less than even a million copies shifted. And for comparison, Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9 averaged around 10 million copies a piece. As beloved as Vagrant Story is by the RPG diehards then, that just hasn't translated to wider appeal, and so it seems highly, highly unlikely that Square Enix would ever roll the dice on another go-around. Next up, Cuphead. Cuphead is one of the most acclaimed video games of the last decade, a mesmerising run and gun game, bolstered by its deeply challenging gameplay, unforgettable boss fights, and all-timer art direction. And it was a hit as well, Cuphead sold 5 million copies within two years of its release. Its brilliant DLC, The Delicious Last Course, sold a million copies in just two weeks, and in 2022 an animated series was even launched for Netflix. It certainly seemed probable that developer StudioMDHR was now going to go all in on Cuphead, but more than eight years removed from the original's release, we still don't have any hint of a Cuphead 2. Quite the opposite, in fact, as though the studio is currently staffing up for their next game, they have made numerous suggestions that it would be something entirely new and different from a Cuphead sequel, though it will likely feature a similar art style. So, Cuphead 2 might happen one day, but considering that the studio is just a small outfit with a few dozen employees, you definitely shouldn't expect it anytime soon, And it may well never come. Next up, Bully. Considering the pedigree of Rockstar Games, it was simply assumed that their brilliant school set action-adventure game Bully would get a sequel eventually. Though it ultimately sold far, far less than any of the PS2 Grand Theft Auto games, it was clear that Rockstar had the potential to grow a franchise here which would become more popular over time. And, indeed, Bully 2 actually began early development in the late 2000s, which was intended to be a more ambitious open world game with a map three times the size of the original. Development actually got far enough that by 2009 Rockstar New England had a playable vertical slice of the game, though that year a large chunk of the studio's workforce was laid And by 2010, many staff members were reassigned to other Rockstar projects. Few official updates on the game's status were given in the years that followed, even as reports emerged suggesting that Bully 2 had been quietly cancelled internally. This was finally confirmed by Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser at the end of last year, who said that development stalled due to bandwidth issues, that Rockstar simply didn't have the people power necessary to get the game made alongside their other AAA projects. 200 million copies of Grand Theft Auto or 15 million copies of Bully? Next up, Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem. Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem is one of the most innovative and underappreciated survival horror games of all time. A fiendishly clever gemstone in the GameCube library, Which became a cult classic due to its bewildering fourth wall breaking sanity effect. The game regularly assailed the player with visual and auditory effects intended to disorientate them, such as pretending to change the volume on their TV, apparently deleting their save file, or randomly restarting the game. Developer Silicon Knights intended to develop a sequel at one point, with one almost getting made for the Wii U, but all movement ended in 2013 when the studio filed for bankruptcy. But later that year, Precursor Games, a developer staffed by many ex-Silicon Knights employees, announced a spiritual successor to Eternal Darkness called Shadow of the Eternals, with the involvement of Eternal Darkness director Dennis Dyack. The follow-up was intended to be an epic horror story spanning 2,500 years of history in Hungary, England, Egypt and the US, And would have even used assets originally built for the cancelled Eternal Darkness sequel. Better yet, Nintendo was supportive of the project, and was seemingly hoping to letting Precursor use the patented sanity meter mechanic, but by the end of 2013 the game was delayed indefinitely following several failed crowdfunding attempts. The director tried to relaunch Shadow of the Eternals in 2014 under a new studio, but by 2018 that had folded as well. While Shadow of the Eternals hasn't been officially scrapped then, it seems clear that the creators have moved on from producing any sort of Eternal Darkness adjacent project. That kinda sucks. Next up, Sifu. Sifu is one of the most unique and inventive beat-em-ups of the last few years. A deliciously, savagely challenging action game in which the protagonist ages every time they're resurrected after dying. Sifu's crunchy combat and slick cinematic influences added up to one hell of an addictive experience, the game proving popular enough that a film adaptation was swiftly announced. And so one might assume that developer SlowCap was all in on Sifu as an IP, but they instead surprised everyone by announcing that their next game was going to be something completely different, a multiplayer football game called Rematch which launched last June. And around the time of Rematch's release, SlowCap were unsurprisingly asked about a potential Sifu 2, and Rematch's creative director Pierre Tarnot revealed that the studio had no interest in chasing safe bets, noting that gamers are quote, on the lookout for new original Experiences. That effectively confirmed that Sifu 2 won't happen then, but on the plus side, at least SlowCap seems secure enough to pursue their own passion projects rather than remain hitched to their prior successors forevermore. But still, please do that and also give me Sifu too. I went through the original really recently again. Kicks S is the best action game ever made. That's hyperbole, but you should play it. Next up, Stardew Valley. Stardew Valley is one of gaming's greatest success stories of the past decade. An almost narcotically addictive life sim largely developed by one single person, Concerned Ape, which has sold almost 50 million copies worldwide. While ConcernedApe absolutely could have franchised out Stardew Valley, he instead decided to just keep working on the original game, delivering substantial updates to this very day which seemed to keep most players more than happy. With that in mind then, you have to ask yourself what a Stardew Valley 2 would even look like, and considering that concerned ape reportedly rocks a net worth of around 45 million dollars thanks to the game's success, there's likely little incentive for him to produce a sequel just for the sake of it. Stardew isn't the developer's only iron in the fire though, as in 2020 he announced Haunted Chocolatier, a spiritual successor, Chocolatier Sim, which, if nothing else, sounds like an artist making exactly the thing they want to, free from exterior commercial pressures. You do love to see it. Next up, Bulletstorm. Bulletstorm is one of the most infuriatingly unsung shooters of the 2010s, a gloriously cartoonish loud and brutal FPS which rewards players for how creatively they kill enemies. Though well reviewed at the time, EA had seriously high sales expectations, believing that Bulletstorm could become another Gears of War, but it ultimately fell far short, enough so that it didn't even turn a profit for Epic Games. This caused a planned sequel to be scrapped and though the game has since had a 2017 remaster and weirdly a 2023 VR edition, neither of these re-releases have moved the needle enough for a proper Bulletstorm 2 to happen. Back in 2019, the CEO of the developer, People Can Fly, reiterated his interest in giving Bulletstorm a second life, though added that it wasn't a priority and required them to find a way to make it more mainstream. But hey, considering that boomer shooters are all the rage right now, it's honestly never felt like a better time for Bulletstorm to make a return. But with people can fly currently busy on other projects, including Gears of War E-Day, it does seem doubtful. Next up, Marvel's Midnight Suns. Marvel's Midnight Suns is so, so much better than it had any right to be. Though the initial marketing was pretty rough, Firaxis Games ultimately delivered a deceptively deep tactical RPG that fully delivered on the potential of XCOM, But Marvel. The card-based combat is accessible yet increasingly complex, the story is surprisingly robust, and the social dynamic between the roster of superheroes is basically second to none. Yeah, you can argue that it's overstuffed with filler content, it's a long long game, but by and large this is one of the best superhero games of the last few years. Yet, despite being embraced by critics and our very own Scott Telford, Midnight Suns was a sales flop, likely due to both poor marketing which failed to sell casuals on its concept and the misguided decision to drop it during a crowded December 2022 release window. Some also pointed to a general disinterest in narrative-driven Marvel games as well, what with Marvel's Avengers and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy similarly underperforming previously. Either way, there is tragically basically zero chance of anyone ever rolling the dice on a Midnight Sun sequel. Next up, Skies of Arcadia. Sega's 2000 RPG Skies of Arcadia is one of the most beloved offerings in the Dreamcast library, and remains a firm cult fave to this very day. Yet beyond the 2003 GameCube port Skies of Arcadia Legends, we've barely seen a peep from the franchise since. Ultimately, neither the original Dreamcast release nor the GameCube parts sold well at all, ensuring that while Sega did consider a sequel in the early 2000s, it never materialized. Fans have also continually begged Sega to remaster the game, and though they hinted back in 2012, but that was indeed on the horizon, well it's uh, 2026 and that hasn't happened yet. As such, Skies of Arcadia fans have had to settle for a few characters showing up in several games in the Valkyria Chronicles franchise and, randomly enough, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed. That is such a bad title, really bad title. Even though Sega renewed their trademark for Skies of Arcadia just last year, it's incredibly tough to believe that we're ever going to get a sequel considering how disastrously the original sold. Next up, Lost Odyssey. Lost Odyssey is one of the most beloved RPGs of the Xbox 360 generation for its fusion of classic turn-based combat with a rich nuanced story packed with memorable characters. Though Microsoft was reportedly happy with the game's early sales and considered making Lost Odyssey a franchise, it never came to pass. And this was reportedly for a few reasons. First and foremost, the game was greenlit by Microsoft as part of a wider mission to expand the Xbox into Japan, but when Lost Odyssey didn't move the hardware needle in the region, a sequel became less viable. This then prompted Microsoft to move away from developing JRPGs in the years that followed, as coincided with the surging popularity of Western RPGs, all the while developer Mistwalker shifted towards smaller scale and less risky projects. Though rumors have persistently done the rounds that a Lost Odyssey remaster is in the works, this was as well recently rubbished by the game's co-writer, Hironobu Sakaguchi, who rather depressingly expressed no interest at all in bringing the game to modern platforms, let alone producing a sequel. Next up, Vanquish. Isn't Vanquish just about the most 2010-ass game And don't we love it for it. PlatinumGames' delirious third-person shooter is an absolute riot of fast-paced action and intentionally carny storytelling, and has left a whole swath of players jonesing for a sequel ever since. But the problem is a bit of a predictable one here. As far as ludicrously entertaining as Vanquish is, it sold less than a million copies across both PS3 and Xbox 360. And subsequent ports to PC, PS4, and Xbox One only boosted that number to around 1.3 million. Simply, the numbers just aren't high enough to make Vanquish 2 make sense to Sega or Platinum Games. Especially with the latter having kept incredibly busy ever since on an absolute bevy of more successful action games. Furthermore, considering that director Shinji Mikami left the company following the completion of Vanquish, it seems like the creative figurehead of the IP has moved on in literally every sense of the word. Next up, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker. With the Nintendo Switch 2's launch lineup enduring a relatively mixed reception from players, of course there's been renewed demand for numerous dormant Nintendo franchises, Not least a sequel to the much-loved platformer Captain Toad. Treasure Tracker. Elevated by its charming visuals and novel puzzle concept, this was an absolute slam dunk for Toad's many fans, or at least I'm told he's got many fans, and seemed to suggest another budding mini-franchise for Nintendo. But even though the game did sell more than 3.5 million copies across its release on Wii U, Switch and 3DS, and ranks among the best-selling games There's still no sign of a follow up whatsoever. Admittedly, it is hardly a new trick for Nintendo to leave money on the table with some of their head-scratching business decisions over the years, but in this case it's most likely that Captain Toad Treasure Tracker was always intended to be an experimental one-off title, and that Nintendo would rather devote their developmental resources to bolstering their other, more established franchises. Never say never, of course, but also, don't get your hopes up for Treasure Tracker 2. Onrush. And now it's time for our annual speech about how Onrush was just bloody brilliant actually. Codemasters 2018 racer is one of the genre's most creative and gosh darn addictive offerings of the past decade, tossing out the usual cross the finish line goal in favour of an emphasis on teamwork where sustained boosts and destroying opposing cars prove far more important. Onrush was well received by critics and those racing fans who actually bothered to play it, but sadly, that just wasn't many people, with poor launch sales causing layoffs at Codemasters itself. Now the sales performance was likely in part because publisher Deep Silver marketed the game as a totally generic racer, probably out of an ironic fear that its more eccentric gameplay Gameplay style might turn off the casuals. Sadly the multiplayer servers were shut down in 2022, basically hammering the final nail in the coffin of this potential franchise. And again, it's a damn shame because Onrush was actually doing something original and unique in a genre where that's been incredibly difficult and, as it turns out, even harder to do while still turning a profit. Next up, Sunset Overdrive. Sunset Overdrive isn't merely a terrifically entertaining, self-consciously edgy action-adventure game, it's the blockbuster AAA project which gave Insomniac Games the experience they needed before getting to work on the recent Marvel's Spider-Man titles. Now the game was a critical hit and was finally ported to PC in 2018, at which point Insomniac reiterated their interest in a Sunset Overdrive 2. Though following their acquisition by Sony in the very next year, the two companies declared that the sequel just wasn't a priority. Now this is likely because Sunset Overdrive sold less than just 2 million units, and according to data from the December 2023 Insomniac ransomware attack, the developer made just $567 in profit for the game. I'm not missing any decibels or any zeros off there. 500. Though Sony did register a trademark for Sunset Overdrive in 2021, that was likely a just in case measure, as the numbers certainly don't suggest that a Sunset Overdrive sequel would be worth their while currently, especially when Marvel's Spider-Man 2 sold 11 million copies within six months of release. Again, this is all further backed up by the Insomniac leak, which revealed that Sunset Overdrive 2 was, at one point, in some stage of production, but was cancelled the very next year, as the studio shifted focus to Marvel's Spider-Man instead. Next up, Grim Fandango. Grim Fandango is outright one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable adventure games of all time. A devilishly witty romp, which remains arguably the artistic peak of Mastermind. Furthermore, once upon a time it was routinely cited as prime proof that games can be art, back when such a subject actually still merited debate. And yet, despite being hailed by many as the last great LucasArts game, and remaining fondly recalled almost three decades later, Grim Fandango remains a pure one-off, save for 2015's Well, received a remaster. And as usual, the reason for that comes down to basic economics, for as well as Grim Fandango's story and aesthetics in particular have aged, it was a commercial failure on its original 1998 launch, in turn causing LucasArts to shift away from developing adventure games entirely, all the while the genre entered a wider decline. And so even though the remaster was considerably More successful, Grim Fandango 2 still represents a huge financial risk, considering the highly risk-averse nature of modern games development. Plus, to be fair, Schaefer keeps himself plenty busy developing other games these days, and has expressed satisfaction with how the first title tied everything off. So much as we all would love to see another Grim Fandango, it just doesn't seem commercially or creatively imperative to anyone in a position Up next, Live Alive. 1994's Live Alive spent the better part of three decades being one of the most supremely underrated RPGs of all time. But its 2022 remake finally saw it enjoy the wider sales success the original so thoroughly deserved. After all, without this game's ingeniously ensemble-led story, we probably wouldn't have the Octopath Traveler series, which clearly took many cues from its overall presentation. And if Octopath Traveler can be a hit franchise, then why can't this? Well, in 2023, producer Takashi Tokita said that the game could happen if the remake sold 1 million copies on Steam and PlayStation platforms. And while we know that the game did sell over 500,000 copies on the Nintendo Switch alone, sales data sadly isn't available for those other platforms. The fact that it currently has less than 700 reviews on Steam though isn't a good sign, and probably explains why a sequel hasn't yet been announced. Of course, stranger things have happened, but short of the original game enjoying an unexpected sales renaissance, You probably shouldn't get your hopes up. And finally, we have Until Dawn. As interactive drama games go, Until Dawn is certainly one of the most successful, with Supermassive Games' cinematic horror experience serving as a gloriously over-the-top love letter to the genre. Within weeks of the game's release, Sony confirmed that it had sold more than expected and sequel ideas were already percolating. Yet more than a decade later, we still don't have an Until Dawn 2 Now, in fairness, Supermassive has continued to develop similar interactive horror games over the last 10 years, from VR spin-offs Until Dawn Rush of Blood and The Impatient to their Dark Pictures anthology series and also spiritual successor The Quarry. But despite Until Dawn's commercial success and cultural staying power, it's frankly baffling that a sequel, the very thing everyone expects from any hit horror IP, has remained elusive for so long. Rumors continue to do the rounds that Supermassive might be secretly working on Until Dawn 2 but as of yet we're yet to hear anything concrete. So that's our list, let me know what you think down in the comments below. Which games do you want to see sequels for and if you want to watch more videos like this click one on screen right now.