For those of you that know me you know of my love for The Order: 1886, it’s not something I have shied away from and if there was one thing I was hoping to see during Sony’s PlayStation 5 event it was a morsel of hope that The Order IP has a future. But after witnessing a montage of PlayStation’s catalogue over the years that even included the likes of Knack but made no mention of The Order: 1886 I’m not so sure it does. At least not with PlayStation at the helm it seems.
It’s not the first time PlayStation has given The Order the cold shoulder when it comes to marketing materials, but this is probably the most damning omission given it was part of ‘The Future of Gaming’ montage.
When it comes to PlayStation exclusives, something that the company has been nailing this generation (just take a read of review for The Last of Us Part II), there’s probably no bigger flop than The Order: 1886. For a PlayStation exclusive it was poorly received and it sold poorly (although the game’s developer Ready at Dawn has stated in the past that they’re happy with the sales figures) due to a short campaign and disappointing gameplay elements. The game did boast some seriously impressive visuals and production elements, as well as a captivating setting, but the whole package fell short for a large number of players.
The future of the series has been brought up many times, but with Ready at Dawn sacrificing the rights to the IP in…order…to secure funding for the first game, any decision regarding the series is out of their control. A sequel was rumoured to be in the works for the PS5 earlier this year, but it’s all gone quiet on that front. Still, my fingers are crossed.
Despite the game’s mixed reception, there’s a devoted set of fans who would love to see it get a second chance, after all, the first game ended on a fairly big cliffhanger and Ready at Dawn said numerous times that The Order’s universe was built for more than one game. Perhaps Ready at Dawn’s best chance, who are transitioning into self-publishing, is to somehow wrangle the IP from Sony’s grasp. Either way, I hope that one day we see the return of Galahad and his lush moustache, and while the first installment may have been middling for some, it’s a world that is full of potential and a series that deserves a second chance at redemption.
Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts
