Sony Rejects The Order: 1886 Sequel After Poor Reviews, Developer Reveals

Sony reportedly declined a sequel to the PlayStation 4 game *The Order: 1886* due to its lukewarm critical reception, according to Andrea Pessino, co-founder of the game's developer, Ready at Dawn. Pessino shared in an interview with MinnMax that the team had pitched an "incredible" sequel, expressing a willingness to commit fully to the project purely for the love of the game and its players. *The Order: 1886*, released in 2015, was an action-adventure title set in Victorian London, featuring werewolves and boasting some of the best graphics of its generation. However, it received mixed reviews from critics.

"It would have been an incredible sequel, I can tell you that for a fact," Pessino stated, though he was limited in what he could share due to not owning the franchise rights. Despite the game's reception, Ready at Dawn pitched the sequel to Sony, with Pessino reflecting that it was perhaps for the best that Sony passed. "We thought we were going to be screwed before, man, with the sequel, we would have signed our life away."

Pessino revealed that the development of the original game was fraught with challenges, including a strained relationship with Sony. The team had to cut numerous elements to meet deadlines, ultimately releasing *The Order: 1886* before it was fully ready. Sony's expectations for graphical fidelity, set by the game's initial pitches and reveals, led to withheld payments when Ready at Dawn couldn't maintain those standards due to other priorities.

While Pessino acknowledged that such practices are standard in the industry for third-party publishers, it resulted in a frustrating dynamic with Sony. Despite this, Ready at Dawn was prepared to accept even more challenging conditions for a sequel, driven by a desire to deliver for the fans.

"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," Pessino explained. The team was ready to accept unfavorable terms because they believed in the potential to redeem the franchise, noting that the groundwork laid was solid and ripe for expansion.

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