Andrea Pessino, co-founder of Ready at Dawn, revealed that Sony declined a sequel to the PlayStation 4 game, *The Order: 1886*, due to its lukewarm critical reception. Despite this, Pessino expressed that the team at Ready at Dawn was passionate about creating a sequel, describing it as "incredible" and stating they were willing to commit fully to it for the sake of the players. *The Order: 1886*, released in 2015, was an action game set in Victorian London with werewolves, renowned for its stunning visuals but criticized for its gameplay, earning middling reviews.
Pessino emphasized the potential of the sequel, saying, "It would have been an incredible sequel, I can tell you that for a fact," although he couldn't elaborate further due to not owning the franchise rights. He mentioned that Ready at Dawn pitched the sequel to Sony despite the initial game's reception, but Sony's decision to pass might have been a blessing in disguise given the challenging conditions they faced during the original game's development.
The development of *The Order: 1886* was fraught with difficulties, including a strained relationship with Sony. Pessino noted that Sony's expectations for graphical fidelity led to withheld payments when Ready at Dawn couldn't meet those standards temporarily. This strained relationship and the pressure to meet deadlines resulted in the game being released before it was fully ready, with many elements cut.
Despite these challenges, Pessino said Ready at Dawn was prepared to accept even worse terms to develop the sequel, driven by their desire to redeem the franchise. He explained, "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, with Ready at Dawn being shut down by its owner Meta in 2024, those hopes have been extinguished. In IGN's 6/10 review of *The Order: 1886*, the game was described as a "stylish adventure" that prioritized cinematic polish over gameplay freedom, reflecting the broader critical sentiment.
