Support NeoGAF

[LectureMaster]

Just Cause 5 'Would Be a No Go', Says Avalanche Founder

In a post on social media, the co-founder of Avalanche Studios has stressed why we might never see another Just Cause game.

insider-gaming.com

---

Earlier this year, reports surfaced suggesting that Just Cause 5 was canceled midway through development, putting a final nail in the coffin for the open-world action series. In a recent post on social media, Avalanche Studios' founder, Christofer Sundberg, revealed that the current makeup of the company would prevent Just Cause 5 from ever resurfacing.

In his words, even the reappearance of Just Cause 5 wouldn't be enough to 'save' Avalanche.

We Might Never See Another Just Cause Game

Just Cause debuted in 2006, emerging as an open-world action title like never before. It was an enormous game that pushed the PlayStation 2 and Xbox to unforeseen limits, offering players a massive world to trek through while undertaking gun-blazing missions and death-defying stunts.

It was expanded on with a second, third, and fourth (and final) release, but the latter title proved to be the killing point for the franchise, which is something that Christofer Sundberg, founder of Avalanche Studios, shouldered some of the blame for:

The problems with JC4 was partly me (unwillingly) moving away from creative leadership to more corporate crap, publisher problems, team composition and roles and more. Sad, because looking at JC4 now, it shows SO much promise.

Sundberg was speaking to his followers about the recent topic of Contraband. Images of the canceled game surfaced recently online, prompting Sundberg to address his relation to the project:

Me and my team pitched Contraband back in 2017 to MSFT (and signed it). It's changed quite a lot since then obviously, but it would have been fantastic to see it being released one day somehow. #JC5 would be a no-go since extremely few from the original team are there still.

In the comments under his post, Sundberg became critical of Avalanche's current operating model:

I doubt it. They need to find the fire again, take risks, piss people off and make games the rest said was impossible. I started Avalanche to break the mold, not to fit into one.

 

[Loomy]

I doubt it. They need to find the fire again, take risks, piss people off and make games the rest said was impossible. I started Avalanche to break the mold, not to fit into one.

This is what I want from the AA space.

 

[CamHostage]

Oof. I missed that Contraband was dropped.

Just Cause was a fun series and did the nonsense Physics Fun that few games are into these days (another Red Faction Guerrilla will never happen either,) but I'm okay with this franchise ending. It needs a good custodian to care for it, it's difficult to see it expanding beyond what it is now without fucking up what already has already been trouble to irritate upon, the originality isn't so strong that it's taking a whole subgenre or mechanic with it, and the money isn't there.

Hopefully they find a new project that uses their abilities and interests but also pays off this time.

 

[bender]

I'm not sure I played the 4th entry. JC3 was such a disappointment after JC2 and that's setting aside the horrific technical state it launched in.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

That's why game studios should watch out making endless sequels for games which most of the original team isnt there anymore. It wont be the same. And possibly not as good either because it's so different the game is probably glitched up and gamers used to the earlier games will be like... wtf is this?

Just look at Bioware. The huge change from their 1990s and 2000s games to recent stuff like ME Andromeda and Veilguard. Most of the studio is going to be different taking the games in a their direction. Disasters.

 

[Pimpbaa]

It was pretty clear most of the original team didn't make JC3 (and this new team made JC4 too I think), and that was a while ago now.

 

[Laptop1991]

Just Cause 2 was great, 3 i didn't finish and I didn't want to play 4 as it looked no better than 3, so the team was on a downwards path anyway imo.

 

[Kuranghi]

I played 3 first and its one of my favourite gaming memories, went and tried 2 afterwards and didnt get the hype for it at all, i missed the physics and the wings it and every little place I tried to liberate looked identical.

What am I missing about JC2, did I have to play more? What was the magic of it?

The magic of JC3 for me being large scale physics destruction, varied and vast landscape, wingsuit felt amazing, challenges were really fun to master. I just loved clearing the map.

Didn't get any of that with JC2, but people consistently tell me they didnt like JC3 after loving JC2.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I loved JC 2 and JC 3, thought they were incredibly fun games that you could just pick up and play for a few hours and cause chaos. So when JC4 dropped I was hyped beyond belief and it turned out to be a massive disappointment. Probably the biggest let down for me in a very long time. I'm still not over it. So maybe burying the franchise is for the best. Avalanche is a far cry from what they once were when Sundberg was running the show. They went downhill fast when he sold the company.

 

[crackajack]

I am not quite sure I understand why you need the original team to do anything. You need passionate capable people, versed in current tech. The required "mold" for success always was and will be the same.

 

[Dr Cowley]

"We cant make a sequel to the game you like cos we replaced the good'uns with shit'uns"

Sadly I came to grips with this years ago

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Aren't they trying to find a publisher for Contraband? Who am I thinking of?