Ready at Dawn was apparently planning to make a sequel to The Order: 1886 before it was acquired by Meta. The sequel was expected to have a much improved gameplay experience, as the first game had focused on developing RAD Engine 4.0. Unfortunately, that plan never came to fruition, and the studio moved on to VR games.
The Order sequel was not approved
The Order: 1886 was developed with plans to produce a sequel – especially since the game ended on a cliffhanger and contained hints at a sequel – and in fact the team invested a lot of time and resources into RAD Engine 4.0, which they used for future titles as well.
Ready at Dawn has produced a game plan, and according to Shinobi602 of X (formerly Twitter), the team was planning to “pour everything” into the sequel's gameplay experience. He estimated that the sequel would be a leap in experience similar to that seen between Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2.
The first game, while praised for its technical and artistic achievement, received mixed reviews from critics and poor sales due to its length and gameplay, so it was not greenlit and plans for a sequel were shelved. Instead, the studio worked on the multiplayer brawler game Deformers before entering the world of VR game development.
In 2020, the studio was acquired by Meta with the intent of aiding in the development of the Oculus VR game. The acquisition ended any hopes of a sequel ever happening. The studio suffered massive layoffs last year as Meta sought to cut costs, but yesterday's news of the studio's closure delivered the final blow. Fans are likely wondering what could have happened.
