- Xbox One-exclusive Ryse: Son of Rome was planned to expand into a franchise exploring multiple locations.
- However, Crytek’s plans were thwarted when the game failed to sell well and due to IP ownership issues.
- Ryse games would have explored multiple eras and locations, aiming to be Xbox’s own AC-like franchise.
Despite a fair share of controversies, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed has become a giant in the action role-playing genre. No other IP is quite like it even today, but Xbox almost had its own exclusive franchise under Crytek that would have filled the same niche years earlier.
A report reveals that Ryse: Son of Rome was intended to be a much bigger experience than the 6-hour ‘graphical showcase’ we ended up getting.
Crytek’s lofty goals for Ryse included exploring multiple eras and locations like Assassin’s Creed today. However, the game’s poor sales, driven by its short linear campaign, thwarted those plans.
Why it matters: We could have had an exclusive Assassin’s Creed-like experience under Xbox if Ryse: Son of Rome had not been forced to meet Xbox One deadlines.
IGN reports that Crytek gutted two-thirds of the planned content from Ryse: Son of Rome to meet the Xbox One release deadline. However, all that unused content would have been used in sequels later down the road.
Many of the game’s executives were exploring the Viking era for the sequel, as that part of history wasn’t explored much in gaming back then.
However, other settings, like the Mongol invasion and even feudal Japan, were being considered for a sequel. They would have been more open-ended than the linear campaign of the first game.
One idea was to explore how different empires fell over the millennia across these games. Crytek was also considering connecting the narrative through multiple sequels like Assassin’s Creed, which would have been much harder.
Besides Ryse: Son of Rome’s poor sales, there were also disagreements between Xbox and Crytek about who would own the Ryse franchise.
Crytek was not ready to part with the series and wanted to only work on what it owned, so the studio parted ways with Xbox.
Do you think Crytek could have nailed an Assassin’s Creed-like franchise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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