Rebellion is finally working on a proper sequel to Evil Genius, the 2004 base-builder/strategy game that let players design their own evil lairs from which they would attempt to subjugate all of mankind. It sounds like Evil Genius 2 is still several years from release. But confirmation of a proper sequel should be welcome news to fans of the first game.
Confirmation of the Evil Genius sequel comes directly from the studio. Rebellion published a short video in which CEO Jason Kingsley announces Evil Genius 2. The studio then followed that teaser with an open letter to Evil Genius fans on Twitter. It acknowledged previous efforts to revive the franchise, including plans for a crowdfunding campaign that never came to fruition. Rebellion also promised Evil Genius 2 would be a proper sequel to the first game, not another mobile/Facebook game (like Evil Genius Online) banking on lingering awareness of the series. The studio is only working on a PC build right now, but says it will keep its eye on other platforms and “see what fits” as development continues. We’re probably not the only ones hoping to see Evil Genius 2 on the Switch at some point down the line. The series’ Dungeon Keeper-esque gameplay just seems perfect for gaming on the go.
There was some bad news tucked into this week’s Evil Genius revival: Rebellion doesn’t have a timeline for the next game in the series. The studio only began work on EG2 this spring and the open letter to fans confirms the team is still working on a very early build of the project. Games from established studios usually take several years to release, even if they hit Early Access first, and Rebellion says it still needs to put the finishing touches on its in-house game engine, Asura. Once the engine is ready, the studio says it can begin hiring more talent and providing additional resources to the Evil Genius 2 team. Any potential console ports are likely to arrive near the tail end of that platform’s lifecycle (unless it’s the Switch).
Evil Genius 2 is in development for PC.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Evil Genius 2 news throughout development and however long Rebellion supports Evil Genius 2 after launch.
