505 Games assumed full publishing rights for the IP after Ghostrunner’s release and announced last year that Ghostrunner 2 was in development, as assuring fans that current-gen console versions of the first game would be available by the end of 2021. Beyond that, the upcoming Ghostrunner 2 has remained mostly a mystery, and many players were hoping to hear more about it during 505 Games’ recent showcase. However, Ghostrunner 2 was conspicuously missing, though it wasn’t the only game to be missing from the stream.
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The State Of Ghostrunner 2
In May of last year, 505 Games announced its continued collaboration with developer One More Level to bring Ghostrunner 2 to life. Citing the game’s success and positive reception, 505 Games revealed its plans for a potentially expanded IP, confident that Ghostrunner was “capable of contributing for a long time to the 505 Games product portfolio.” This was good news for fans who were keen to jump back into the cutthroat world of Jack and the crumbling arcology of Dharma Tower.
Beyond this initial announcement, both the developer and publisher of Ghostrunner 2 have been extremely quiet with regard to the sequel. Players do know that Ghostrunner 2 will be coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and hopefully the sequel will be able to smooth out some of the performance issues that non-PC players experienced with the first game thanks to the more powerful capabilities of current-gen consoles.
No trailers or looks at gameplay have been released so far, and a launch date has proved to be just as elusive. It stands to reason that Ghostrunner 2 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, providing players with plenty of gory combat, challenging gameplay, and dynamic Parkour action amidst a neon-lit sci-fi setting, but its story still remains a mystery.
The Big Games Missing From 505’s Showcase
With more and more developers and publishers launching individual livestreams and game showcases outside big events like E3, players have a wider range of avenues to learn about new and upcoming games than ever. This means that the year is filled with exciting events and streams to get all the video game goodness that a player could possibly desire, and 505 Games Spring 2022 showcase was just such an event. The publisher’s first-ever digital showcase delivered trailers for several of its games, but while there were some great-looking games featured, a few key players were missing.
Before the showcase, gamers were anticipating more news about Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a JRPG and popular Kickstarter project that made waves on the funding platform in 2020. However, apart from another look at Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, news about Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was practically non-existent. Supernatural survival game Among the Trolls received an announcement trailer, and the action RPG and Soulslike Stray Blade was featured, among others, but some fans were left disappointed by the lack of Rabbit and Bear Studios’ upcoming title.
Ghostrunner 2 was also nowhere to be seen. This may be a little more understandable, as work on the sequel has most likely only just started thanks to the first game’s unexpected success and 505 Games’ recent-ish move to take a larger role in the franchise by taking over the full publishing rights. With barely anything currently known about the upcoming sequel, it’s possible that there really isn’t much to show of Ghostrunner 2 yet. It makes sense that 505 Games wanted to focus on titles that have trailers, or at least more substantive development updates to share.
Ghostrunner 2 is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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