One of the most under-appreciated games of last year was Just Cause 2, the incredibly vast sandbox action game by Avalanche Studios. We loved it here at Game Rant and since its release, we've been waiting for news on a follow-up.

In April we learned that Avalanche Studios was developing two major games for 2013, widely believed to be Just Cause 3 and Mad Max: Fury Road (the ladder of which is now being worked on by Brendan McNamara). Although we always knew Just Cause 3 was coming, we now have a little more confirmation, along with an update on the film adaptation.

Just Cause 2 sold more than 3.5 million copies so it's not surprise that a (well-deserved) sequel is in the works, especially after the recent success of Saints Row: The Third and the buzz surrounding Grand Theft Auto V.

According to The Hollywood Reporter's latest update on Just Cause: Scorpion Rising, the film adaptation of the series, a third Just Cause game is in the works.

As for the film, it's getting a rewrite from Bryan Edward Hill, the man who worked with Dolph Lundgren on The Mechanik. The story will explore the origins of series protagonist Rico Rodriguez who goes by the codename "Scorpion" and if anyone's played Just Cause 2, it's certainly a property that lends itself to over-the-top action, the kind that director Michael Bay delivers. Now if only they could get him to direct...

As for Just Cause 3, it's yet another hot property under Square Enix, the publisher that's also seeing the return of Agent 47 and Lara Croft in Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider (reboot) respectively. Square Enix also published Deux Ex: Human Revolution, successfully bringing back the beloved franchise.

With the timing of Just Cause 3's release date and previous reports of Avalanche working on a new IP for the next-gen consoles, it's possible that Just Cause 3 could be a launch title for the Xbox 720 if indeed, it releases in late 2013 as recent reports suggest.

Needless to say, Square Enix is on the right track with their core franchises going forward. If only they could make Final Fantasy something we can get all excited about again, then they will have done it all.

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Source: THR