Behind the Scenes of The Order: 1886: Co-Founder Reflects on Challenges with PlayStation and Cancelled Sequels
By Andrea Pessino, co-founder of Ready at Dawn, has shared some of the challenges his studio encountered during the creation of the PlayStation 4 exclusive The Order: 1886.
Released in 2015, the Victorian steampunk shooter The Order: 1886 was celebrated for its technological innovation and regarded as one of the most visually impressive games on Sony’s then-new hardware. However, its linear gameplay and focus on cinematic cutscenes rather than player interaction left reviewers lukewarm.
In a conversation with Minnmax, Pessino noted that changes within Sony during the game’s development created additional pressure – particularly the internal shuffle within the PlayStation team which resulted in Shuhei Yoshida – who had previously worked closely with Ready at Dawn’s team – becoming less involved.
“When Shu went to Japan – he was elevated – he took over all things [PlayStation], many followed him,” Pessino mentioned. “There was a complete ascension.
“Leadership requires a delicate equilibrium; when one person changes, everything changes. So after that moment, everything shifted for us. The individuals we had previously made agreements with were gone… they remained in the hierarchy, but you can’t circumvent it. It’s like the military – you can’t simply say ‘hey, Shu!’. So the degree of friction… everything began to evolve at that point.”
Pessino refrained from delving into further specifics regarding the sources of this friction, only indicating that the studio had to dedicate time discussing “contracts”.
“It wasn’t the sole issue, but it certainly didn’t aid development in any way,” Pessino stated, “the fact that we were regularly battling them over the silliest, most trivial matters imaginable.”
Established in 2003, Ready at Dawn had collaborated closely with Sony for over a decade on projects including PSP versions of Daxter and God of War, in addition to God of War: Origins Collection for PS3.
The Order: 1886 was perceived as the company’s endeavor to create its own identity, with a completely new franchise that it could potentially develop and manage. Unfortunately, after a mixed response, that was not the case.
“One of the issues was that a great deal was removed; many of the nuanced storytelling elements were lost because so much was cut,” Pessino mentioned. “Elements that were meant to be interactive became a film… We were in a dire situation, we needed to deliver… We required at least one more year. But we didn’t receive it, so it was ‘cut, cut, cut’.”
Ready at Dawn had proposed a sequel to Sony and had discussions regarding its setting. It would have included multiplayer gameplay, according to Pessino, and was slated for release three years later in 2018.
Instead, Sony opted not to proceed with any sequel plans after the original title did not achieve a positive reception.
“I genuinely don’t believe it was the sales; it was the critical reception,” Pessino remarked. “Sony is a very proud organization, justifiably so. And the critics…