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In 2018, Square Enix released the hotly anticipated Just Cause 4, ing on from the iconic mayhem of its predecessors. Unfortunately, however, it failed to match the heights of JC2 or JC3 as critics labelled it «dated» and «dull», a sentiment clearly shared by players as it failed to recoup development costs.
In the seven years since, not much has been said about the series, but Square Enix did confirm that a sequel was in development back in 2022, though it appears to have been cancelled.
As reported by MP1st, a former Sumo Digital employee listed that they were the ‘Vehicle Features Team Lead’ on Just Cause 5 for two years, but the project was «cancelled» in 2023, leaving the future of the series in flux.
Just Cause 5 Wouldn't Have Been An Avalanche Game
What’s interesting here is that they claim Just Cause 5 was in development at Sumo Digital, when the series has historically been helmed by Avalanche.
However, that does line up with a Sumo Digital job listing from 2021, which called for a senior game designer to work on «the next game in an established AAA open-world action franchise», which could easily have been Just Cause.
We’ve heard nothing in the years since, but if the project was cancelled, that’s hardly surprising.
Square Enix Is Still Interested In Just Cause
via Avalanche
While it might paint a bleak future for the series, it’s worth noting that Square Enix isn’t done with Just Cause just yet. Last year, Universal Pictures announced a film adaptation, with Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto taking the reins.
Just earlier this year, Jack Ryan writer Aaron Rabin was tapped to pen the script.
At the very least, it shows that Square Enix still places value in the Just Cause IP. Whether that means a sequel is in development, however, isn’t clear. It’s safe to assume that Sumo Digital isn’t involved anymore, given that Tencent acquired Sumo Group in 2022. Avalanche could return for the sequel, but right now, that also seems unlikely.
Avalanche is currently working on a new IP published by Xbox Game Studios called Contraband. Announced three years ago, it centres around «what a co-op smuggler’s paradise would look like» in the ’70s.
It also has an «unannounced [open-world] AAA project» in the works, which was hiring for new staff in 2022, when Sumo Digital would have already been developing Just Cause. So, it’s probably not Just Cause. Who might take over the series, then, if Square Enix is even interested in a sequel, we’ll just have to wait and see.
