When Sleeping Dogs released back in 2012, the action-adventure received positive reviews from the gamers and critics. The game reportedly sold over 1.5 million copies in just the opening year. Following the release, the game also received several upgrades, new missions, new outfits for the game’s characters, and the three expansion packs. These expansion packs were released as downloadable content within six months of release.
There were a few reports back in 2013, citing that the developer — United Front — was working on a sequel. The details of the storyline and the game’s setting were also revealed, in the following months. But the developers abandoned the sequel’s plans even before it went into early production. They reportedly tried to make an enjoyable free-to-play mobile game, that would interact with the main game.
Sleeping Dogs follows the storyline of an undercover police officer Wei Shen, who infiltrates the Sun On Yee Triad organization. A player takes the role of the police officer and they have to complete missions to go on with the missions. With the completion of the mission, new contents are unlocked and new abilities are developed.
Shen’s main abilities include hand-to-hand combat, parkour, and amazing shooting skills. Other than completing missions, you can freely roam in the game’s world, set in contemporary Hong Kong, and perform legal and even illegal activities.
Will there be a Sleeping Dogs 2?
The plans for the sequel of Sleeping Dogs were impressive, as it was going to be the first ambitious game of United Front. In the sequel, following the events of Sleeping Dogs, officer Wei Shen would explore China’s Pearl River Delta along with a corrupt partner Henry Fang. Sleepings Dogs was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Fans called it a PS3-era Grand Theft Auto clone.
Now, we will never see a second Sleepings Dogs because the game’s developers, United Front officially closed down. Sleeping Dogs still could release, if its publisher, Squire Enix planned to develop a sequel. Meanwhile, a live-action film adaptation of the game is currently in production, with Donnie Yen set to portray officer Wei Shen.
Why didn’t Sleeping Dogs 2 happen?
Despite Sleeping Dogs being a critical success, it wasn’t a financial success. The game sold only 1.5 million copies despite getting good reviews from games and reviewers alike. And Sleeping Dogs underperformed when it was compared to other square games like Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider. Therefore Square Enix decided to cancel the upcoming Sleeping Dogs Sequel.
Follow Stanford Arts Review for More Gaming Updates
