It's not uncommon for video game franchises to have a ton of sequels, with franchises like Final Fantasy Final Fantasy and Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed well into the double digits. But for every game that becomes a franchise, there are many more that have never seen a single sequel. For some games, they didn't due to poor sales and/or critical reception, but other well-liked--and in some cases profitable--games don't get sequels for one reason or another.

As for the games that made this list, they are excellent games with passionate fanbases that, for one reason or another, haven't had one. These games are also, at least in some ways, unique, providing enough of a reason for these specific games to be deserving of sequels. Most of these could feasibly actually get made, although in some cases a new developer would likely have to take over.

1 Marvel's Midnight Suns

Pure tactics that got overlooked due to deck-building aspects.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is a turn-based tactical game from Firaxis, the team behind XCOM. It sounds like a match made in heaven, and the reviews agreed, but Marvel's Midnight Suns did not sell well via Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. According to Axios, Firaxis saw layoffs and the departure of senior creatives after that, making it unlikely that a sequel will be made anytime soon. As for why it didn't sell well, it could have been leftover negative sentiment after Marvel's Avengers or an aversion to the deck-building aspect of the game.

Regardless, Marvel's Midnight Suns is an excellent tactics game, using the deck-building system to create both synergistic builds and keep combat fresh by forcing you to adapt to the cards you draw each turn. It features a great selection of Marvel heroes, like Magik, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, and more, and it has a strong comic book feel to its story telling. It's unfortunate that a sequel isn't coming, because a refined combat system with even more characters could have been something truly special.

Why it deserves a sequel

• Strong comic book look and feel
• Smart tactics delivered in a more approachable form: cards
• Unique, non-MCU depictions of Marvel characters

2 Sunset Overdrive

Insomniac Games has been good at fluid movement longer than it's been making Spider-Man.

Sunset Overdrive was an early Xbox One exclusive made by Insomniac Games, now best known for making Marvel's Spider-Man games and being a PlayStation first-party studio. Sunset Overdrive, in many ways, feels like a predecessor to Spider-Man, especially when it comes to movement. The gameplay is all about grinding on rails and flying through the air while fighting enemies, never standing still while fighting off waves of enemies. It has a massive open-world you can zip through, finding collectibles and completing missions.

It has a wacky energy and lots of silly weapons and outfits, almost feeling like a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater level. Regardless, a sequel isn't coming, for a few reasons. First is that PlayStation owns Insomniac Games now, and Sunset Overdrive was published by Xbox. It was also revealed in the Insomniac Hack that Sunset Overdrive barely broke even (via ResetEra), so there also isn't a financial incentive for either party to attempt making a sequel happen.

Why it deserves a sequel

• Strong personality, with fun and silly vibes
• Incredible fluid movement and combat
• Anything to get Insomniac Games out of the superhero mines

3 Diddy Kong Racing

Mario has had his fun, now it's Diddy's turn.

Diddy Kong Racing was the superior kart racing game on Nintendo 64 according to critics, with Diddy Kong Racing sitting at an 88 on MetaCritic and Mario Kart 64 at an 83 on MetaCritic. Diddy Kong Racing featured Diddy, along with Banjo, Conker, and more Rare characters. It had racing on land, sky, and water, with a variety of vehicles. It had an expansive single-player story mode with boss fights and challenging races, offering a larger and more varied experience compared to Mario Kart 64.

But, it seems unlikely that a sequel will ever be made, since Mario Kart 64 outsold Diddy Kong Racing (via Hackernoon) and Rare is now owned by Xbox. While Nintendo could make a new game since it owns the rights to Diddy Kong, but it wouldn't feature the same characters, nor would it be made by the same team, and with Mario Kart continuing to be extremely successful, there doesn't seem to be any reason for Nintendo to try it.

Why it deserves a sequel

• More Rare characters and esthetics
• Tougher, more challenging racing
• Nintendo needs more variety in its racing games

4 Bully

Rockstar probably won't take a break from Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption.

Bully is Rockstar's 2006 open-world game where you play a 15-year-old bully. You play pranks, beat people up, do activities like carnival games. It's a sandbox-style game like Grand Theft Auto, but you break rules instead of laws. It reviewed quite well (via MetaCritic) and has a pretty passionate fanbase, but a series of rumors is all fans have had to hang on to in the nearly two decades since its release. A far more humor-driven and small-scale experience compared to Rockstar's more recent work, it deserves a sequel as there is nothing quite like it in the AAA gaming space.

As for why Bully 2 hasn't been made, it seems like Rockstar isn't interested in the franchise for one reason or another. Perhaps the company doesn't see the potential in the series in terms of sales compared to the juggernauts that are Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. It's also a harder premise to make the sort of sweeping narratives and online components that the developer is now known for.

Why it deserves a sequel

• Rockstar could use more variety in its releases
• A potentially smaller game
• Not many open-world games tackle juvenile humor like Bully does

5 Bloodborne

The white whale of unmade sequels.

Bloodborne is the bingo card free space of the list, but the ravenous demand only solidifies it as a game deserving of a sequel. Bloodborne is FromSoftware's gothic horror soulslike game, although comparing it to Dark Souls or Elden Ring doesn't do it justice. Its focus on faster-paced combat and aggressive gameplay, encouraged by the Rally mechanic, which lets you regain some health lost from damage by dealing damage. Its gothic horror setting and themes feel unique amongst FromSoftware's other games.

As for why there hasn't been a Bloodborne 2, it seems as though the blame may lie with PlayStation. Bloodborne was a PS4 exclusive and was published by PlayStation, meaning that a sequel would need to involve PlayStation, even if they don't outright publish it. Normally that would mean PlayStation could pay FromSoftware to make it, but with Elden Ring selling 25 million copies as of June 2024 (via PushSquare) it seems unlikely FromSoftware would want to limit future releases to a single platform. FromSoftware did recently announce The Duskbloods, an upcoming multiplayer title coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2, and it upset fans since the setting of the game looks similar to Bloodborne.

Why it deserves a sequel

• Emmaculate setting and vibes, unmatched gothic horror
• Polished and rewarding combat unique from other FromSoftware games
• Ravenous fanbase that would show up

6 Viva Piñata

Sure we've had two, but what about a third Viva Piñata?

Yes, there are two Viva Piñata games already, 2006's Viva Piñata and 2008's Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise--there is also a Nintendo DS game and a party game spinoff--but that doesn't mean it isn't deserving of a sequel. The garden management and building aspects would thrive with modern audiences, especially in a world where Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons have massive audiences. It has cozy game appeal, while being an interesting and unique management sim, full of fun piñatas to collect.

This is also one of the few entries on the list where a new game could happen without any real hoops to jump through. It's an Xbox-owned franchise made by Rare, an Xbox-owned studio. While Rare has been in the trenches of development, having not released a game since Sea of Thieves in 2018 (although that is a live-service game that receives steady updates) and has been working on Everwild since that time presumably. Perhaps after a decade of developing a new game, Rare could want to return to a classic.

Why it deserves a sequel

• Would thrive in the current cozy game climate
• Great management sim unlike others in the genre
• It would be great for Rare to release a new game

7 Sleeping Dogs

Square Enix's open-world crime game is beloved, perhaps it's time for it to return.

Sleeping Dogs is Square Enix's 2012 sandbox crime game. It follows Wei Shen in Hong Kong, as he infiltrates the local gangs as an undercover cop. The gameplay is similar to Grand Theft Auto, but smoother driving and more involved hand-to-hand combat made it superior at the time, as it features a setting that was uncommon for this style of game at the time. It reviewed well and was well liked, but Square Enix never came back around to make a sequel.

While Square Enix does still own the rights, United Front Games, the developer, has since closed its doors. Square Enix has other studios, but none of them have expertise in this style of game, making it tough to make a sequel all these years later.

Why it deserves a sequel

• Hong Kong is an underused setting
• Few games can compete with Grand Theft Auto, in terms of gameplay
• Strong characters and fun focus on combat