Champions and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series
The Champions series (Champions of Norrath and Champions: Return to Arms) and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series, was developed by Snowblind Studios (also Black Isle Studio on the Baldur's Gate series) in the early 2000's. These four games were and still are some of the most beloved hack and slash, Action RPG game series from the early 2000's and PS2 era.
The Champions games were set in the EverQuest universe while Baldur's Gate series was set in the Forgotten Realms universe. With the growing popular in Dungeons and Dragons and the more recent Baldur's Gate 3, now would be a perfect time to revisit both of these franchises.
The possibility seems there, as Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Dark Alliance 2 were released onto Steam and consoles in 2021, leading fans to hope and pray for a new game in the series. A new game, with modern graphics, modern tech, while maintaining the core ARPG and Hack & Slash core mechanics could prove to be a very popular hit. Both franchises would be likely to bring in large numbers of sales from dedicated fans of the series or of similar franchises.
Bully
Rockstar’s cult classic Bully was released in 2006 and offered a very different experience from the studio’s larger open-world franchises. Instead of crime-filled cities, Bully focused on life at a boarding school, using classes, rival cliques, and pranks to tell a smaller but memorable story filled with Rockstar’s signature satire.
While it never reached the popularity of Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption, Bully has maintained a loyal fanbase over the years. A modern sequel could explore contemporary themes like social media and online reputation while expanding on character interactions and systems, making Bully an IP that feels surprisingly relevant today.
Bloodborne
Arguably one of the most beloved games from FromSoftware, Bloodborne brought the Souls-like formula into a haunting gothic horror world filled with Lovecraftian influences. By emphasizing faster, more aggressive combat and unique trick weapons, the game created an identity that felt distinct from Dark Souls and even later entries like Elden Ring.
Yharnam remains one of FromSoftware’s most memorable settings, with its oppressive atmosphere and cryptic lore continuing to be discussed by fans years later. Despite this, Bloodborne has seen no sequel, remaster, or PC release, leaving the game oddly untouched. With modern technology, a sequel could expand on its world and systems while preserving the tone that made the original so iconic.
The Order: 1886
Another PlayStation exclusive, The Order: 1886 was released in 2015. The game definitely did not review the best. It received plenty of criticism for its gameplay, with heavy focus on quick time events and a short campaign (roughly only 7 hours).
The story and the setting of the game, however, is what truly makes this game wonderful. The game is set in London with a steampunk setting as you play as Knights of the Round Table, while you fight off werewolves and vampires.
The developers, Ready at Dawn, have since closed the studio. But Sony still maintains the IP of the game and could easily hand it off to a new or smaller studio to continue with the world that was created in the original game.
Infamous
Sucker Punch has been pretty busy as of late with Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei. But Sucker Punch has another franchise they can return to that would likely be greeted with lots of love, the Infamous serious.
We last saw Infamous in 2014 on the PS4 from both Infamous Second Son and Infamous First Light. Before that was the PS3 exclusives, Infamous and Infamous 2. A return to the franchise would be an interesting one, as Sucker Punch would have different paths they could go. Could we see a return of Cole MacGrath from the original two games or bring back Delsin from Second Son. We could also even see a completely new set of characters introduced.
With modern hardware, a deeper morality system, and more reactive open worlds, a new Infamous game could finally deliver on the franchise’s original promise in ways that weren’t possible a decade ago.