Overwatch 2 - Gaming Sequels DON'T WORK

Where Does This One Fit Into The Timeline, Then?

Another interesting aspect of video game sequels is that timelines can become super complicated over the course of a long-running series. The most iconic example of this is perhaps the Legend of Zelda franchise.

How many Links have there been? Which came first? What’s the connection between them? While there are clear links (pun intended) between certain titles and the overarching timeline, such as Link’s dealings with the legendary hero who teaches him sword techniques in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, it’s a Herculean task to make sense of it all.

Video game sequels take different routes, such as the Final Fantasy series’ each-instalment-in-a-vacuum approach and Resident Evil’s straightforward numbered sequel progression, but that doesn’t make the overarching story any easier to follow where Resident Evil is concerned!

The online multiplayer component of titles such as Overwatch makes them comparatively much harder to produce traditional sequels for (consider the difference between Red Dead Redemption 2 and its online component Red Dead Online), making the grey area even bigger.

Sometimes, sequels just aren't the answer. Among Us 2, for instance, has been cancelled for now, as Innersloth instead prioritize making the smash-hit original as fully-featured and fan-pleasing as it possibly can be in the coming weeks and months. Success can be fleeting and fickle in the gaming industry, and an approach like this can be a great move in the long term.