Support NeoGAF

[dex3108]

United Front Games has closed, dashing hopes fans would ever see a sequel to cult hit 'Sleeping Dogs'. But for a while, they were working on it. Waypoint has proof.
Canadian-based game developer United Front Games went out of business last month. The studio wasn't widely known over its nine-year history, but it was responsible for Sleeping Dogs, one of the most underrated open world games of the past decade. In a just world, we'd be playing Sleeping Dogs 2. We almost lived in that world, too. Sleeping Dogs 2 was in development, according to two sources I spoke with, and I have the documents to prove it.

Chances are, it was a combination of factors that lead to Square Enix passing on making a proper follow-up to Sleeping Dogs, but all my sources said United Front Games was up for it.

https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/art...well-never-get-to-play?utm_source=wptwitterus

 

[Based Calla]

I'm currently replaying Sleeping Dogs and boy does this hurt.

 

[vypek]

Gonna read this now. This hurts worse knowing it was in development and never made it out. I hope someone can salvage it.

 

[Nightengale]

Welp.

Sounds like even shipping Sleeping Dog really impacted the studio's talent pool.

 

[Sleight of Jam]

Should've focused on that instead of an online MMO that even a child could predict would bomb.

 

[Nirolak]

This reads like what I was actually expecting when they announced Triad Wars as a multiplayer enabled Sleeping Dogs follow-up, instead of the 3D Facebook game we got.

Should've focused on that instead of an online MMO that even a child could predict would bomb.

This is the game United Front actually wanted to make. I've added a quote to the OP.

 

[strafer]

This hurts.

 

[Kayhan]

Such a shame.

The sequel pork buns would have been amazing.

 

[Fat4all]

well now im just fucking sad

 

[Acquiescence]

 

[Cleve]

Man, it's been a rough week. Way to bum me out, Scoops.

 

[Sleight of Jam]

Square Enix was the one who wanted that. United Front knew it was going to tank.

Ah damn, my mistake. That really sucks. Suits in touch with youth as always.

 

[FelipeMGM]

Keplek doing god's work out there at Waypoint

Just started reading but this bit already made me feel bad cuz we are not getting this game

[...]This time, Shen would be joined by a "conflicted, corrupt partner" named Henry Fang[...]

The player would have the ability to arrest any NPC in the world, and influence a branching storyline that swapped between both Shen and Fang. Here's one example of how that might have played out:

"An opening scene consists of Wei and Fang talking together, discussing what the next step of an investigation should be. Deciding to split up and follow different leads, Wei's thread will follow him as he busts heads for information, while Fang plants evidence by breaking into a suspect's house. Depending on the character selected, the audience (and characters) will only see one side of the story until both threads are played. This gives us ample opportunity to explore both characters fully, and gives the player the revelatory experience of discovering both sides of the story."

WHY DO YOU HATE US SQUARE? ANSWER ME!!

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Square Enix can suck a big king size bag of dicks.

 

[John Kowalski]

He has the documents!!

 

[pra2veen]

Sleeping Dogs is a great game, if you want an open world game that takes itself seriously, has great character development and a beautifully crafted world I highly recommend it. There is some goofy stuff, clearly meant for fun, but it's mostly side missions. It's very grounded and the consequences of the actions of the characters is felt, the world changes as you move through it and that's something a lot of other open world games seem to avoid.

 

[dreamcastmaster]

it's going to hurt to read this isn't it?

*click link anyway*

 

[dex3108]

I guess that SE is willing to waist money for years only on Japanese games ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[Fat4all]

more than any other open-world game, I want a new Sleeping Dogs.

More than a new Red Dead, even.

 

[Hektor]

You da real open world MVP ;_;



This online interaction with other players sounds absolutely fantastic.

 

[Kayhan]

 

[MadLaughter]

One problem for Sleeping Dogs 2 was that Hitman and Tomb Raider had taken priority at Square Enix, which meant there was less money to budget towards any Sleeping Dogs 2.

Agent 47 killed Wei Shen.

 

[TangerineCloud]

This is really all that needs to be said.

 

[Catvoca]

Lol, Patrick tweeted this just before the article went up https://twitter.com/patrickklepek/status/801081838533943297

 

[Dawg]

Fuck it all

The ONE sequel i wanted... hell, NEEDED

WHYYYYY

 

[xzeldax3]

I pray that SE keeps this game in the back of their mind and hopefully a different studio can take a crack at a sequel. I need more Sleeping Dogs.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

He has the documents!!

Hah! I love Klepek but his insistence on that was funny.
My comment from the duplicate thread:

Thanks for the link, it's sure to be a bittersweet read.
Sleeping Dogs has ruined most open world games for me. If I can't play as Wei Shen, then why bother? One of my all time favs next to Vice City.

 

[Big Nikus]

I'll never be a real man again...

 

[LordOfLore]

Do we know where any of the devs ended up?

 

[DrunkShogun]

The only open world game that has good gameplay mechanic whether it be combat on foot or vehicle. Super disappointed but the first game might have a spiritual sequel from a other developer.

 

[Easy_D]

Patrick Klepek, why must you hurt me so?

 

[Gamesgbkiller]

How can SE pass on that ? Sounds very interesting from what I've read so far.

DAMN IT!

 

[t hicks]

Man this bums me out

 

[Xando]

One problem for Sleeping Dogs 2 was that Hitman and Tomb Raider had taken priority at Square Enix, which meant there was less money to budget towards any Sleeping Dogs 2.

Seeing how the last Tomb Raider performed square is probably regretting this right now

 

[John Kowalski]

Oh wow, a megalopolis huh. I kinda liked how relatively small the original game city was...

 

[Sojgat]

 

[LordOfLore]

How can SE pass on that ? Sounds very interesting from what I've read so far.

DAMN IT!

Says so in the article. Devs were leaving, Hitman and Tomb Raider were the focus on the western front and this was before they turned their money troubles around. This wasn't so much cancelled as never being given the green light.

 

[VeryGooster]

Sleeping Dogs 2 co-op design

 

[Some Nobody]

I had to lose SD2 so they could make Hitman, huh? Fuck.

This game sounds like it would've been great, too.

 

[Kaako]

God damn this. Sleeping Dogs was fucking amazing and I really really would've loved another proper sequel.

 

[Stallion Dan]

Shame, I honestly thought it was head and shoulders better than the last few GTAs.

 

[LAM09]

Real shame

 

[Thelonelykoopa]

It so bloody disappointing that we won't get a sequal I bought the original three times.

 

[UncleMeat]

Well I'd given up hope anyway but it's still a bummer.

this helps.

 

[Tonky]

Sorry but with how the "cloud" turned out, I doubt any of that would have worked anyway.

 

[Xaero Gravity]

I wasn't a fan of the original at all, but damn that sequel sounds awesome.

 

[Neuromancer]

Square Enix is a bunch of jokers. What a shitty thing to cancel; I'm sure it would have been great.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

omg they were going to make a Pearl River Delta crime epic


This is a heartbreaking read


uggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[UrbanRats]

Indeed.

 

[_woLf]

Man, the ufg people I talked to at pax said the same thing. They wanted to make sleepy dogs 2 but square enix owned the ip and straight up would not let them. Tried making smash and grab instead since it was self funded. Bummer how that went.

Wtf SE.