As popular as the open-world genre is, that doesn’t mean a game is guaranteed to be successful or to even come out. The Lord of the Rings: The White Council, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Armada Of The Damned, and so many others got canceled.
10 Best Discontinued JRPG Series That Deserve A Comeback, Ranked
These classic JRPG series had strong stories, gameplay, and worlds that would shine with modern remakes or sequels.
Some series almost get sequels while others just get abandoned after a bad game or two. Fans never know if a series will return or not, but surprises do happen, as it’s not all doom and gloom. Kid Icarus: Uprising is a good example, which appeared decades after the last game, so maybe these open-world games can return someday too. They will be ranked based on how long they’ve been gone, taking into account how good the games are as a whole.
7 Just Cause
The Future Is Uncertain
Just Cause
- Released
- September 27, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes
- Developer(s)
- Avalanche Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS2, Xbox (Original), Xbox 360
- Last Game: 2018 (7 Years)
Just Cause appeared in 2006, which didn’t make that big of a splash. The sequel is where things really took off, thanks to the bigger world and extra gameplay tricks to make the chaos look and feel more satisfying. The last game was Just Cause 4 in 2018, which wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things.
However, Just Cause: Mobile was shown after Just Cause 4, but was eventually canceled. Just Cause 5 was never officially announced, but rumors suggest it was being developed before getting canned behind closed doors. Things don’t look good for the Just Cause series if two games got destroyed back to back.
6 Dishonored
Open-Ended Stealth
Dishonored
- Released
- October 9, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- Last Game: 2017 (8 Years)
Dishonored was released in 2012, followed by a direct sequel in 2016, which later got a standalone DLC pack in 2017 called Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. Every entry in the series didn’t feature massive worlds to explore, but their cities were open-ended enough to give players the illusion of grandeur.
Players could sneak around the city and assassinate enemies quietly, or they could go loud and proud. This experimentation is what helped the series gain a good reputation. Since Arkane Studios is backed by Microsoft now, Dishonored could be on the chopping block soon. There is never guaranteed safety for studios or franchises, as was just demonstrated with the recent Microsoft closures.
5 Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor
Might Be Gone For Good
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Released
- September 30, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Last Game: 2017 (8 Years)
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was an original story, not based on any of the main books in The Lord of the Rings franchise. It was released in 2014, followed by Middle-earth: Shadow of War in 2017. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it: this franchise is probably dead.
Monolith Productions was disbanded, which doesn’t necessarily mean Warner Bros. Couldn’t hire another team to make a sequel, but it is unlikely. Someone should make a game using the Middle-earth franchise’s Nemesis system, no matter if it’s a sequel or an original concept.
4 Mirror's Edge
Where Are My Packages?
Mirror's Edge
- Released
- November 11, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Last Game: 2016 (9 Years)
Mirror’s Edge is one of the oddest video game franchises around, and it all began in 2008. For eight years, console fans demanded a sequel, and they got it in 2016 via Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, which turned the game into a bigger open-world city to explore.
The game still centered on parkour and being the best courier around, but there was a bigger twist. It was a reboot instead of a sequel. So, besides a phone game, there were only two main console games, and they’re both regarded as an entry point. EA closed Mirror’s Edge Catalyst’s online servers in 2023, which doesn’t seem like a positive sign for the franchise.
3 Prototype
Chaos In The City
Prototype
- Released
- June 9, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Last Game: 2015 (10 Years)
2009 was the year of original superhero games set in big, open-ended cities. Prototype gave players the ability to absolutely destroy the city with various morphing arms, from fists to blades. They could also camouflage themselves as normal NPCs to get past guards.
There was a sequel in 2012, and both games were remastered in 2015. It’s technically been quiet ever since the remasters, although recent rumors do suggest Prototype 3 is in the works, but rumors often never pan out, so take that with a grain of salt.
2 inFAMOUS
X-Men In All But Name
inFAMOUS
- Released
- May 26, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3
- Last Game: 2014 (11 Years)
inFAMOUS is the other superhero game from 2009, which has a greater legacy. There were three games on the PS3, including a standalone piece of DLC for the second game. The hero, Cole, had electric powers, and based on player choices, they could learn good or evil powers. InFAMOUS Second Son was the third core entry for the PS4 in 2014, and its hero, Delsin, could take powers from others, including light-based and fire-based attacks.
7 Discontinued Nintendo Console Features That Were Great
These Nintendo console features have all been discontinued, which is a shame as they were all excellent ideas.
There was standalone DLC in 2014 as well, inFAMOUS First Light, and then that’s been it. Sucker Punch built an impressive world of oppressed meta-humans, but now they’re all about building even bigger open-world games via their Ghost of series. Maybe Sony will one day put a b-team to make another inFAMOUS game if Sucker Punch is too busy.
1 White Knight Chronicles
An MMO JRPG
White Knight Chronicles
- Released
- December 25, 2008
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Level 5, Japan Studio
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3
- Last Game: 2011 (14 Years)
White Knight Chronicles is perhaps one of Level-5’s most forgotten JRPGs. Players could explore giant areas connected by towns in-between, sort of like Final Fantasy 12’s structure. The battle system was even similar as it mirrored MMO-style auto-combat.
The first game was released for the PS3 in 2010, and then a year later, White Knight Chronicles 2 was released, packaged with the original game. Japan and Europe also got a PSP spinoff in 2011. Three games in two years is wild, and there haven’t been any efforts to port these games elsewhere. White Knight Chronicles may not be Level-5’s best franchise, but it certainly deserves better than to lie dormant forever.
8 Best Open-World Games To Play Casually, Ranked
Not all of these open-world games are casual games, but they can be casually played, letting players take a break from their epic questing.