UK-based DMC developer Ninja Theory has confirmed it has shelved any plans to work on a sequel to its critically acclaimed adventure game Enslaved.
"Enslaved should have done better," he told Edge. "Right now we should have been doing a sequel and perfecting that sequel and doing what franchises do, which is get better over time.
"[But] because that didn't happen we've not expanded to two teams like we intended to. So we've remained a smaller shop. But now we get another chance with DMC."
Despite the critical praise for the title, it never hit blockbuster status at retail, selling only 730,000 copies as of May 2011. Still, that should cover the Andy Serkis fee.
Asked by CVG if he was holding anything back for a sequel, Antoniades told us last year he wasn't automatically assuming there'd be a follow-up. Now we aren't either.
Comments
27 comments so far...
steve w on 22 Sep '11 said:
Poor old ninja theory they can't get a break can they, I liked enslaved was looking forward a 2nd never mind hopefully DMC will go better for them.
adnanrules on 22 Sep '11 said:
Sorry to Ninja Theory but I hope DMC fails miserably so that Capcom learn!! LISTEN TO THE FANS!
adnanrules on 22 Sep '11 said:
Sorry Ninja Theory but i hope DMC fails! so Capcon Learns there lesson
DrGR on 22 Sep '11 said:
This is a damn shame... Yes, Enslaved was not perfect (simplistic combat, a bit repetitive & the ending was a complete cock-flop) but it had one of the best realised game worlds this generation, voice acting that the likes of Square-Enix could learn a thing or 2 from & Monkey is one of my favourite game characters ever!
It deserves to have a sequel in order to fully realise it's potential... a la Assassin's Creed, if you will.
I have recently been toying with the idea of going back and re-playing it...even more onus now that there won't be a second.
Fr33Kye on 22 Sep '11 said:
They made a lot of mistakes in enslaved. So hopefully DMC is a better game for it, i'm sure namco will pick up enslaved 2 if dmc is reviewed well.
l1nc on 22 Sep '11 said:
I really enjoyed enslaved, Its narrative & art style were flawless. I think a sequel would sell better much like the dead space franchise. Ninja theory need a break.
sammikid on 22 Sep '11 said:
Douche bags should have made a heavenly sword 2!
1st one sold OK, for a launch title but they should have built on that franchise.
Plenty would have purchased a sequel, instead they chose a new IP!!!
An OK Enslaved
hi0marc on 22 Sep '11 said:
Enslaved was an average game where others are brilliant and brilliant where others are average.
It was hugely unique and am considering personally funding work for a sequel.
I just need money.
DDElektra on 22 Sep '11 said:
Ninja Theory is "enslaved" by Capcom, which is why they can't make Enslaved 2.
Still...its a shame that one of the sweetest titles of 2010 won't get a sequel.
martinawatson on 22 Sep '11 said:
agreed, Heavenly sword should be on PSN for download , bizarrely underrated game, on a big screen its amazing, cmon Sony.
FAUNA on 22 Sep '11 said:
HEAVENLY SWORD & ENSLAVED are 2 of the best games ever created. The masters at NINJA THEORY simply craft visionary art, style, fantasy/sci-fi, story/cinematics, music, & gameplay like no other. THESE ARE THE KINDS OF GAMES PEOPLE SHOULD BE SUPPORTING, INSTEAD OF A BILLIONTH 'CALL OF DUTY' ETC. I wish DMC was Japanese developed (as all Japanese games should be), yet out of all western developers, NINJA THEORY is by far the best choice. The idea of them doing DMC is simply mind numbing.. I hope Nitihn Sawhney is scoring as well.
El Mag on 22 Sep '11 said:
Did you get into my secret stash of blue M&Ms again!
adnanrules on 22 Sep '11 said:
I think we did dude!
MrMoobs on 22 Sep '11 said:
Enslaved was dull and uninspired.
The_KFD_Case on 23 Sep '11 said:
Eh. I was hugely psyched about "Enslaved" yet compared to MW2 there is no contest which I found more appealing and fun (yes, "fun" - they are from two different genres so direct comparisons are a bit off base, but the fun factor scale isn't). I completed MW2. Twice - once on "Normal" and the second time on "Hard". (All but unheard of for me.) I sort of lost interest with Enslaved at the first major minefield. Maybe I'll go back to it some day.
Samildanach on 23 Sep '11 said:
I'm not 100% sure, but didn't Heavenly Sword only sell about 1 million or something and they didn't make their money back. So, now that a multi-plat didn't even do as well, surely their next game should be an exclusive aswell?!
sammikid on 23 Sep '11 said:
Don't care how much heavenly sword sold, it was a launch title. It is a better game than enslaved in every aspect. Heavenly sword 2 would do well as alot of people have played the first over these years. Everyone I know who has played it had nothing but good things to say about it. They established a good franchise and didn't follow it up.
It sucks it didn't sell well at launch, as it deserved to do much better, there are alot more ps3's in circulation now, calculated risk! A risk I would have taken over enslaved
WHERESMYMONKEY on 23 Sep '11 said:
Ninja Theory don't own the rights to heavenly sword. If you want to complain to someone try sony.
Enslaved was one of my favourite games of 2010 i just couldn't put it down till i finished it. Shame it got overshadowed by Castlevania which wasn't half as good.
DMC will hopefully be a big hit. From the gameplay trailers i've seen it looks like they've got the combat mechanics spot on and seeing as its ninja theory it might finally give the story some substance other than the usual converluted nonsense.
jdkoke on 23 Sep '11 said:
Exactly. First Assassins Creed wis pretty crap in all honesty but I love the franchise now. What sold that game wis the marketing, if a bit more wis spent on a flashy advert Enslaved would've sold a lot mare. I go on about it all the time but the Assassins Creed trailer totally fooled me in to buyin an average game. Quality advert though!
ladycroft142 on 23 Sep '11 said:
I'd much prefer a sequel to Heavenly Sword than Enslaved. It had better gameplay as it actually had the ability to let you play and not hold you by the hand through every level. They should focus on trying to improve their own games rather than dragging down successful franchises.
Brainflowers on 23 Sep '11 said:
I am very
at this news.
rikkicm on 23 Sep '11 said:
Gutted at the news I really liked Enslaved even though maybe the ending was a bit of a let down I liked the narrative and story toit and had good character development, this months OPM had a slight rumour that there was going to be a sequel shame there won't be
sammikid on 24 Sep '11 said:
You are right, Sony do own the rights, but ninja theory opted to go multiplatform in order to sell more, but settled on a game that wasn't as good as their previous title Heavenly sword.
Don't get me wrong, I completed enslaved and it was enjoyable but still couldn't stand up to what I consider one of the best
games on ps3
The_KFD_Case on 24 Sep '11 said:
Off topic, yet speaking of sequels that have been announced as not happening I'd much, much rather see a sequel to Alpha Protocol. That game is a gem in the rough and was unfairly panned in my opinion. I ended up having as much attachment, in some ways more so, to my character and his partners as I did with Shepard in ME2.
The Bossman on 24 Sep '11 said:
Critically acclaimed, what rubbish. I haven't played this in months because the shoddy camera angles forced me to give up on it. You can't see where you're going when climbing, moving a camera around yourself would have helped a lot but no, they've chosen the more annoying gameplay path. Plus I've never been as disinterested in a game as this before, bought the edition with the soundtrack and book, but I hate the game. They didn't market it enough and they're not good enough at making an involving game that's fun to play.
dreamcaster on 24 Sep '11 said:
Totally agree with you, Alpha Protocol may have been buggy and rough round the edges, but it tried some things that stood it apart from other games. Good characters, intriguing story and unusual setting, I probably enjoyed it as much as Deus Ex:HR, yet it got panned by the critics and gamers alike
(Btw, anyone who hasn't tried it, it's £1.50 on Steam this weekend
)
Dennis2001 on 28 Sep '11 said:
Very sorry to hear that. That game was truly unique. Atmosphere, textures, voice-acting, environment. Very beautiful game.