Alastair Cornish, the designer of the original action game Sleeping Dogs, spoke in a recent interview about the reasons behind the cancellation of the second installment and the closure of United Front Games Studios. According to him, the main obstacles to the development of the sequel were the high cost of maintaining a team in Vancouver, as well as the difficult economic situation in the region, which is why the project could not fit into the publisher’s financial framework.
Management’s attempt to move to an online spin-off of Triad Wars proved to be a misstep, leading to the team’s closure. However, Cornish believes that a return to Weshen’s universe is entirely possible if the key factors align – a smart budget, a tight and detailed open world rather than a giant empty map, and the presence of enthusiasts passionate about their work.
Despite the current lack of plans and teams from the rights holders, player interest in high-quality story-driven crime dramas in the open world remains extremely high.
