Modern-day game development is about building long-term assets that can eventually become a series and a franchise. Over the last three decades, players have seen many games turn into popular names and continue years after their initial releases. One such game is Super Mario, which first came out in the 80s and has since become a staple franchise for Nintendo.
A more recent example is God of War, which emerged on PS2 as a game based on Greek mythology and has now become a completely different experience on PlayStation 5. That said, not every game is as lucky. A few games try to aim for a sequel but fail for various reasons. Let’s take a look at ten such titles.
10 Half-Life 2
Almost every gamer in 2022 is aware of the whole Half-Life 3 confirmed meme, and that’s all because of the hype surrounding it. After all, Half-Life 2: Episode Two is one of the few best Valve games of the mid-2000s. However, the quality of the game and the scope of its sequel aren’t the only reasons people want to play the next title in the series.
The main reason why many people are waiting for Half-Life 2’s sequel is that it ended on a cliffhanger that’s still lingering on everybody’s minds.
9 Bulletstorm
Bulletstorm is a first-person shooter game from EA and one of their best singleplayer games that are still quite popular among players. It’s a 2011 title by the developers behind Painkiller and Gears of War. Hence, it shares the DNA of those games but shakes it up with its own set of characters, universe, and vibe.
Bulletstorm has a crude, offensive, and crazy adventure that isn’t available anywhere else. Hence, people have been waiting to know what happened after the post-credit scene that showed the main villain had survived and become a cyborg.
8 Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a 2013 PlayStation exclusive game by Sony. Hence, it is shocking that the game has no sequel despite ending on a pretty big cliffhanger. Anyone who played Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time would know that it never reached the height of popularity other Sony games get.
Still, almost a decade later, fans of the series wait for a sequel to know what happened after Sly reached the pyramids in Ancient Egypt. Hopefully, Sucker Punch Productions is working on the next game as we speak.
7 Battlefield: Bad Company 2
EA was on a roll back in the early 2010s, especially with good story-driven titles such as Bulletstorm, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Dead Space, and more. One such game is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which emerged in 2010 and became one of the most popular multiplayer experiences. Another major part of the game’s success was its storyline, full of quirky writing and breathtaking moments.
Unfortunately, the game ended on a subtle cliffhanger when the four main characters, Preston Marlowe, Samuel Redford, George Gordon Haggard Jr, and James Wyatt, kill the antagonist only to learn their mission isn’t over.
6 Game Of Thrones: A Telltale Series
Game of Thrones is already a renowned name with all sorts of fanatics around the globe. Hence, there’s no doubt why Telltale Games decided to convert the popular franchise into an episodic graphic adventure game. Game of Thrones: A Telltale Series came out in 2014 and comprises six episodes titled Iron From Ice, The Lost Lords, The Sword in the Darkness, Sons of Winter, A Nest of Vipers, and The Ice Dragon.
As expected, the game generally received positive reviews and a green light for the sequel. Unfortunately, fans will never know what happens next as Telltale canned the second season due to studio closure.
5 Resistance Retribution
While not many people may care about the Resistance series now, it was once one of the top-selling PlayStation exclusives on the platform. The handheld version, Resistance Retribution, was a PlayStation Portable exclusive title that came out in 2009 and got above-average scores from some of the most popular reviewers.
Resistance Retribution got such positive reception because of its good storyline that followed Lieutenant James "Jimmy" Grayson through his deadly adventure. Unfortunately, players will never know what happens after the story ends and the main character gets infected by the Chimera virus.
4 The Conduit 2
The Conduit 2 was Sega’s ultimate sci-fi shooter on Nintendo Wii, which was an answer to other similar games on platforms such as Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox. It was a fun game that utilized Wii’s controls to its favor and provided a unique gameplay experience not available anywhere else. Moreover, the story was great, with elements of Sumerian mythology and the Reptilian conspiracy.
Sadly, The Conduit 2’s only fault was it aimed too high by being a Wii exclusive, which meant players would never see a sequel and know what happened after the time-traveling George Washington and Abraham Lincoln arrive to help the main character.
3 Dead Space 3
There’s no denying that Dead Space is one of the best singleplayer horror games of all time. Unfortunately, EA and its developer team didn’t do justice to the sequels as they made them more action-oriented. When Dead Space 2 came out, many players were sad that it was too fast-paced and just full of uninteresting jumpscares. However, Dead Space 3 made the second game look like a horror masterpiece because of the ridiculous, over-the-top action and crazy storyline.
Still, one good thing in Dead Space 3 was its somewhat less-known story DLC, Awakened, which showcased the biggest cliffhanger in gaming’s history that showed moon-sized alien species surround the Earth.
2 Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
Believe it or not, the Brothers in Arms series is one of the best games from Ubisoft that suddenly disappeared from the planet. The latest main title in the series, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, was a good story-driven military experience that showcased the real emotions soldiers feel through their gruesome journey fighting a war.
Unfortunately, Ubisoft did a disservice to its player base when it completely ignored the series, especially when it ended on the “To be Continued” screen. Based on reports, a new Brothers in Arms game is in the making, but it is doubtful that it will pick up after the events of Hell's Highway.
1 Spec Ops: The Line
Last but not least, there’s Spec Ops: The Line from 2012. The singleplayer military game shocked everyone when it dropped and shed out one of the best-written stories in any third-person shooter. Players worldwide complemented Spec Ops: The Line for how far it took things when showcasing a soldier’s psyche. Moreover, the game got a lot of praise for its unique setting and mind-bending twists that still stand out today.
Unfortunately, the game concludes with multiple endings, one of which showcased the main character killing the entire patrol and leaving the players with the memorable phrase, “Gentlemen, welcome to Dubai.” What happens next, nobody will know, as a sequel is still not underway.