Sony Rejects The Order: 1886 Sequel Over Poor Reviews, Developer Claims

The co-founder of developer Ready at Dawn, Andrea Pessino, revealed that Sony rejected a sequel to the PlayStation 4 game, *The Order: 1886*, due to its lukewarm critical reception. Released in 2015, *The Order: 1886* is an action game set in Victorian London and centered around werewolves. Although it was lauded for its stunning visuals, the game received middling reviews from critics.

Pessino expressed his enthusiasm for the proposed sequel, stating, "It would have been an incredible sequel, I can tell you that for a fact." Despite his conviction, he couldn't elaborate much due to not owning the franchise rights. He admitted that Ready at Dawn pitched the sequel to Sony despite the original's poor reception, suggesting that they were willing to "sign [their] life away" just to give players what they wanted.

The development of the original game was fraught with challenges, as Ready at Dawn had a strained relationship with Sony. Pessino explained that Sony's expectations for graphical quality, set by the game's initial pitches and reveals, led to withheld payments when Ready at Dawn couldn't meet these standards due to other priorities. This situation, while common in the industry with third-party publishers, created a frustrating dynamic between the two parties.

Despite the difficulties, Ready at Dawn was prepared to accept even less favorable terms for the sequel, driven by a desire to deliver a better experience for the players. Pessino noted, "We were going to do it just because we wanted to deliver it to the players but we would have been... Terrible budget, budget would be small, we would have been completely at the mercy of any decisions and things because we had no leverage whatsoever."

The original game ended on a cliffhanger, leaving fans eager for a sequel. However, those hopes were dashed with Ready at Dawn's closure by its owner, Meta, in 2024. In IGN's 6/10 review of *The Order: 1886*, it was noted that "Though a stylish adventure, The Order: 1886 emphasizes its cinematic polish at the crippling cost of gameplay freedom."