10 Video Game Franchises KILLED By Development Hell

The Legacy of Kain was a dark fantasy series that swaggered into the video game landscape and made its presence felt for six powerful years between 1997 and 2003. With such a unique look it was instantly identifiable and its action and puzzle hybrid gameplay was met with great praise.

It’s always frustrating to type the words “most recent entry in this beloved franchise” about a game that was released nearly twenty years ago. Save for a brief dalliance with an ultimately unreleased online multiplayer title, Defiance for the PlayStation 2 is the last major entry.

With developer Crystal Dynamics largely focusing on the Tomb Raider series, Legacy of Kain has been left out in the cold for a long, long time.

In May 2022, Embracer Group purchased several Square Enix assets including the rights to Kain and have since said they would explore the possibilities for new games.

Then again, we heard something similar in 2015 from Crystal Dynamics senior designer Michael Brinker who stated that there was a “50/50 chance” of a Kain game releasing for PS4 and Xbox One which caused fans to get excited and then doom spiral when the whole thing went quiet again.

Since it’s been about two decades, Legacy of Kain fans have grown used to pining but ultimately not holding their breath for a revival.