When Ryse: Son of Rome launched in 2013 as an Xbox One debut title, it arrived as a visual spectacle that pushed the hardware to its limits. Players stepped into the role of a Roman centurion seeking vengeance, but behind the scenes, Crytek’s team was already looking far beyond Rome. According to developers who worked on the title, the game was intended to be the foundation for an ambitious, multi-era franchise that never came to fruition.
Quick Facts
- Original Developer: Crytek
- Metacritic Score: 61
- Release Date: November 22, 2013
- Platforms: Xbox One, PC
A Franchise That Never Left the Starting Gate
While the team was wrapping up the original game, a core group—including production designer Patrick Hanenberger, art director Peter Gornstein, and project manager Yannick Boucher—began mapping out the future of the IP. The team debated whether the franchise should remain strictly Roman or if it should explore other historical eras. Gornstein recalls being particularly eager to develop a Viking-themed entry, which would have explored raids along the English and French coasts or the Byzantine Empire.
Other concepts were equally expansive. Hanenberger explored the potential of feudal Japan, specifically focusing on the Mongol invasions and the Sengoku period, as well as the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. The goal was to tell a thematic story about the rise and fall of empires, with each entry potentially linking to the next through character arcs and historical events.
Lessons Learned From a Rushed Launch
The original game was plagued by an intense development cycle, with staff reporting that up to two-thirds of the intended content was removed to hit the Xbox One launch window. This crunch left the final product at around six hours of gameplay, characterized by linear corridors that the developers hoped to evolve in future installments.
Had the sequels moved forward, the team planned to pivot toward more open-ended design—not quite open-world, but moving away from the "straight corridor" levels of the first game. There were also plans to introduce more dynamic combat systems. Specifically, the team wanted to allow players to enter and exit military formations, such as the testudo, at will during combat, rather than limiting them to scripted button-press sequences.
The Impasse with Microsoft
The franchise plan was met with enthusiasm from Microsoft, with developers noting that it was described as the most cohesive pitch they had ever seen. However, the project hit a dead end after Ryse: Son of Rome underperformed both critically and commercially.
The core conflict was ownership. Microsoft was no longer willing to fund the franchise without acquiring the intellectual property rights. As a privately owned company, Crytek refused to hand over the rights to the IP. This standoff resulted in the two parties parting ways, leaving the franchise in limbo. While the game holds a 61 on Metacritic, it ultimately sold more than a million copies and retains a dedicated cult following, leaving many to wonder how those planned sequels might have reshaped the series.