Crystal Dynamics recently piqued the curiosity of Legacy of Kain fans recently when it conducted a survey centered on the iconic vampire video game series, seemingly indicating there are plans to bring the franchise back.
Questions in the Crystal Dynamics survey asked gamers about their familiarity with the series, the qualities they remembered or enjoyed the most and what contemporary video games were most like the ideal Legacy of Kain reboot or sequel. The survey is freely available online, though no official announcements have been made regarding plans for another Legacy of Kain instalment.
The survey follows Embracer Group's acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal and Square Enix Group's collection of titles including Legacy of Kain, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and over 50 other titles. According to reports, Square Enix explained in an investors' call that the sale, worth $300 million, was made due to "concerns that the titles cannibalized sales of the rest of the group."
Legacy of Kain began in 1996 with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain-- a 2D, top-down perspective hack and slash game following former noble Kain, who is killed and resurrected as a vampire. Seeking revenge, he sets about murdering the corrupted guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth, including Mortanius, the possessed necromancer who turned Kain. The rest of the franchise followed Kain and his former right hand, Raziel, as they attempt to fight off the machinations of unseen powers and restore balance to Nosgoth.
The franchise explored free will, fatalism and moral ambiguity, embodied by the conflict between Raziel and Kain. Their story reached a conclusion in Legacy of Kain: Defiance in 2003, though this was not originally intended to be the end of the series. A direct sequel, Legacy of Kain: The Dark Prophecy began development but was cancelled after a few months. The game was being developed by Ritual Entertainment rather than Eidos and writer Amy Hennig, who had helmed the franchise's previous instalments, had left and joined Naughty Dog.
What Happened to Legacy of Kain?
A reboot of the series, Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun, was in development for some time for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and would have introduced two new protagonists to the franchise. It was set thousands of years into the future and would have possessed different themes and retconned certain elements of the mythos. However, the game was cancelled in 2012. The existence of the game was only revealed after a fan uncovered screenshots and gameplay of the video game and shared them online.
One aspect of the reboot game was eventually completed: Nosgoth, which was turned into a free-to-play multiplayer game that launched in open beta in 2015. However, due to poor reception, lack of engagement and technical issues, the game was shut down a little over a year later.
Source: Crystal Dynamics