The indie studio Supergiant Games has released a number of well-received titles over the years, but they were all standalone IPs without a follow-up sequel until the announcement of Hades 2. Following the massive commercial and critical success of 2020's Hades, a sequel seemed inevitable, even for a studio that has never released one. Supergiant Games confirmed fan hopes in 2022 when it announced that Hades 2 was in development, bucking the trend for all its previous releases to date and continuing an IP beyond its first entry.
After the confirmation that Hades 2 was on the way, some players have been wondering if Supergiant Games' previous titles might also receive the sequel treatment. It's been a few years since the release of previous games from the developer, but that doesn't necessarily rule out future entries. That's particularly true for more recent titles in Supergiant Games' back catalog like 2017's Pyre, although there's some interesting scope for broadening its other games as well.
How Hades 2 Opened The Door
Since Supergiant Games was formed in 2009, all of its releases have been standalone titles. From the action RPG Bastion released in 2011 to the high fantasy Pyre, fans were only able to enjoy one game in each new world that the developer introduced. Hades marked a turning point for the studio when it was released in 2020. After a long Early Access period that started in 2018, enough buzz had been generated around Supergiant Games' roguelike that many players were eagerly anticipating its official release. Working together with the gaming community during this period also helped the developer shape Hades and turn a great concept into an incredible game.
Even though Supergiant's earlier games were well-received, the indie developer still operated on a fairly small scale and its titles didn't reach the kind of mainstream success that Hades would go on to achieve. Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre each found their audiences and were special in their own unique way, but Hades catapulted Supergiant Games to a certain level of recognition, and the universal acclaim and awards that the 2020 title earned truly opened the door for a sequel the way previous games obviously hadn't.
The Future Of Bastion
Bastion was Supergiant Games' first release, and it was an incredibly solid start for an indie developer, especially one with such a modestly-sized team. Players explored the colorful fantasy-themed environments as the Kid, a silent protagonist who traverses the fractured city of Caelondia and its surrounding areas in order to collect shards of rock to power a structure known as the Bastion. The hand-painted artstyle and charming design made Bastion stand out and were a clever contrast to its apocalyptic setting; its narration and soundtrack were seen as some of the game's best elements. However, some critics and players alike were a little disappointed with Bastion's combat, and the gameplay didn't quite match the level of its other aspects.
The action RPG won several awards and Bastion achieved high reviews across the board, but Supergiant Games never followed it up with a sequel. Fans really responded to the world the developer created in Bastion, and it's clear even from a cursory glance that the studio put so much love and care into its design. It's a shame not to explore this world further, even if Bastion just gets a spinoff title or a pre-Calamity prequel and not a full sequel, but Supergiant Games was clear from the start that Bastion was meant to be a standalone release. However, Bastion's world could also be easily expanded on and its story built upon, so returning to that IP can't be completely ruled out.
Likelihood Of A Transistor Sequel
Bastion gave the small indie studio Supergiant Games the resources to create its next title on its own terms, and this meant another standalone title in a vividly designed and original world. Transistor moved the action from a fantasy-inspired setting to a sci-fi world and replaced the Kid with Red, a singer who lives in the cyberpunk city of Cloudbank. Transistor utilized both real-time combat and a turn-based mode which let players freeze time and plan their next move. Just like Bastion, Transistor's design and soundtrack were singled out for praise as effective ways of bringing the world of the game alive. Transistor also used the feedback from Bastion regarding its limited combat options and presented players with a more flexible system to face the game's enemies.
Many believed that Bastion was a near-perfect next step for the indie studio, and a few expected the developer's next game to be an expansion or follow-up due to its success. However, Supergiant Games proved itself once more as a massively talented and creative studio, and Transistor helped to push it in a new direction. The developer has always said that it would never make sequels for monetary reasons, but only if it made sense for the IP. Like Bastion before it, Transistor's story feels complete after the ending of Red's bittersweet story, so it's unlikely that Supergiant Games will revisit Transistor unless it finds a compelling reason to do so.
Pyre's Potential Comeback
Supergiant Games maintained its stellar reputation and the respect of the gaming community due to its determination to pursue its own creative ends and not financial success when it released its next indie game Pyre. Building on the dynamic combat system introduced in Transistor, Pyre added more original elements to its vibrant high-fantasy world. The branching storylines added more depth to the RPG and littered the game with real consequences, but Pyre was probably the most overlooked of Supergiant Games' library. For this reason, it might be the most likely to receive a sequel, if only for the developer to fully dive into the IP and let it shine as brightly as its other titles.
The success of Hades and the anticipation for Hades 2 means that Supergiant Games may be able to enjoy a comfortable period of financial stability, which could open the door to more risk-taking and creative freedom. This might mean that the developer finds more unique and diverse projects to pour its time into, or it could revisit older games like Pyre, Transistor, or Bastion but with a new focus. The studio may have changed its previous approach to sequels, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's ready to continue its previous IPs.
Hades 2 is in development.