Sony definitely should have given them the second chance. They released three 85-91 MC games for them before Order, to cut ties like that was an absolutely stupid move.
I don't think it was a "cut ties" situation; nothing I've heard about the situation says the parting was one-sided or not amicable, it just made sense at the time to try other things yet it didn't work out for the best for either.
RAD had made 3 awesome PSP games but that market was seen as a second-tier market (and that was the end of the PSP line anyway; the alternative would have been RAD committing to making Sony Vita games, which could have been catastrophic...) So RAD chose to make a play for AAA status via The Order, which they delivered on in some ways but not in the ways that sign big new contracts. They didn't do the numbers to establish a new franchise, they didn't meet the dates or presumed budget to show their business value, and they didn't get the critical/fan response to try again. So now they're for games in at Sony, and they're essentially back at the ground floor. No franchise, no numbers, no leverage
Sometimes when a company is in that rut, a hard choice needs to be made, to make a change.
RAD made a change, to try some indie stuff and also find new partners to explore different frontiers. And Sony let them, rather than making a big offer to have their next game. RAD eventually found success in VR and did great work there until that market soured, and Sony lost a good game maker but they were already cutting down on titles and 2nd Party deals and they weren't showing signs of desire to acquire RAD or anyone else (until Bungie) so maybe they lost out or not, who knows what could have happened?
It's a disappointing breakup, and the unrealized potential of further The Order games will always exist in mind of fans, but there's never a promise that these things will always last.
And I'm sure in the end even the Order made some profit even if small.
Not sure the info out supports that, unfortunately.
www.thegamebusiness.com
