Initially, Ryse: Son of Rome was released in late 2013 exclusively on Xbox One, and in October of the following year, it made its way to PC. To meet the release date, Crytek had to cut up to two-thirds of the planned content. Developers were comforted by the thought that the unused content would not be lost, as they were launching not just a standalone game, but the beginning of a franchise.
In a conversation with IGN, the developers revealed that while work on the game was being finalized, several concept artists, a historian, and key project leaders gathered to decide in which direction the series could be moved next.
For example, Art Director Peter Gornstein wanted to make a game about Vikings:
First, the possibilities were almost limitless: a Viking game allows players to raid the coasts of England and France, the shores of Newfoundland, and even Constantinople, where they served as bodyguards for Byzantine emperors. Plus, it was an underexplored topic — at least back then. The History Channel series was just coming out, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was almost ten years away. It would have been great to explore a part of history that few people knew about at the time.
Among the proposed settings was also feudal Japan — some developers were interested in the topic of the Mongol invasion. However, there were also proponents of the idea that Rome should not be left, or at least not so abruptly. One of the project leaders, Yannick Boucher, explained his vision:
Some felt that we had just laid the groundwork for this franchise, and we were already starting to deviate a bit. Many, not surprisingly, really wanted to make a game about Japan. But that's not the same as changing Rome to Greece. That would be a significant departure.
However, the developers' plans were thwarted by the game's sales: they did not meet expectations. At the same time, sequels to Ryse: Son of Rome were never officially canceled; work on the franchise simply ceased.
If it had been turned into a franchise, the developers would have faced the task of somehow connecting these games. One option was the theme of the rise and fall of empires. In addition, the possibility of linking the games narratively was considered: characters and events in one project would echo events in another.
Currently, Crytek is actively developing Hunt: Showdown 1896 — the extraction shooter receives free updates with new content, as well as premium add-ons.