Yet this new IP, which originated as a True Crime project, was the kind of high-quality game we’d call it today.

According to a Sleeping Dogs game designer, a sequel is possible, but only if several factors align favorably. The original Sleeping Dogs, an open-world action-adventure game, was released in 2012 by Square Enix and developed by the Canadian studio United Front Games. The game was well-received, but a planned sequel was canceled in early 2013. Subsequently, development began on an online spin-off titled Triad Wars, but it was canceled in late 2015 following the beta testing period.

In an interview with FRVR, Alastair Cornish, who worked as a designer on Sleeping Dogs and later became vice president of design at Splash Damage (the studio behind Gears Tactics), said he was disappointed by the cancellation of Sleeping Dogs 2. However, given the associated costs, he wasn’t particularly surprised. Cornish said that a return of Sleeping Dogs is possible but noted that it would be a massive undertaking. If it were to happen, it would need to be planned carefully. Cornish also suggested that, if a hypothetical Sleeping Dogs 2 were to return to an open-world format, it would need to justify its choice of format over a more linear action-adventure game and make good use of the open-world format.

“It was super disappointing because there was a ton of space, and you have a fantastic team. The funny thing about teams is that you have to really look at where they’re positioned. Where is the studio? What are the studio overhead costs? What’s the rent like? How much do the teams cost, and are there competitive studios around that are driving up wages? In terms of United Front Games and Vancouver, that was the epicenter of that happening. It’s happened a few times where a sequel would be possible but not at those costs. People love open-world titles. I think it depends on the level of detail you’re going for. It also depends on the market you’re targeting. It also depends on which tools or techniques have helped reduce the cost of development, if any. In game development, you should never say never, so I think it could happen. However, you would need a bit of planetary alignment, right?

You’d need passionate people with many skills who are smart and honest about their spending and what’s working and what’s not. Sometimes with open-world games, you have to ask, “Why is it even an open-world game?” Sometimes, it feels like there are too many cookie-cutter activities and collectathons. They’ve made a bloated world just for the sake of having a bloated world. I think we’ve moved past that. Now, I think you get more tightly focused worlds. Thankfully, the whole chasing the bigger map thing has died,” Cornish said.

Last year, actor Donnie Yen announced that the film adaptation of Sleeping Dogs, originally scheduled for release in 2017, had been canceled. However, last year, Marvel star Simu Liu (who played the title character, Shang-Chi, in the Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) stated that he is working with the rights holders to bring Sleeping Dogs to the big screen. He added that they plan to make a movie first, followed by a sequel based on the game, which has always been his dream.

Source: VGC, FRVR