Longest break in video game series

[Yora]

From time to time, there still appear rumors of a Baldur's Gate 3. 12 years after the series was wrapped up and finished.

So I was wondering what was the longest duration for a game series to be picked up again? In this case Duke Nukem wouldn't count, since the game was annouced right after its predecessor was released.

StarCraft 2 has been biding his time for really long. But there's probably even longer cases.

[Feytalist]

Well. Diablo 3 springs to mind.

I also occasionally hear rumours of System Shock 3.

[Eldan]

Duke Nukem, maybe? Forever was the biggest running gag on the internet for at least a decade and it was in development for 15.

[Feytalist]

Heh.

Duke Nukem, maybe?

In this case Duke Nukem wouldn't count, since the game was annouced right after its predecessor was released.

Reading comprehension fail, maybe?

[Tiki Snakes]

Syndicate was released in 93. Syndicate Wars in 96 (along with a combo pack of the first two).

Syndicate released this year, meaning a 16 year break if I'm not missing any obscure entries in the series between then and not counting re-releases.


[Edit] Oh! Another contender springs to mind.
Yar's Revenge was released in 1982. The next release of any kind mentioned on Wikipedia is a game boy colour version in 1999. That's 17 years. And that was pretty much a straight remake/port, not actually a new game as such.
You have to wait until 2011 for another actual entry in the series, the mildly baffling re-imagining with the Fly Warrior being a humanoid female in mech armour. (There was also a more faithful prequel release the same year, on facebook).
Which would possibly set the break as 29 years?

[Aidan305]

I can't help but wonder if this has been prompted by the appearance of a new Baldur's Gate site.

[Mordokai]

Is there a point to the above site, other than somewhat improved logo?

Also, I really should finish that BG run I started like a year ago...

[Yora]

I can't help but wonder if this has been prompted by the appearance of a new Baldur's Gate site.

It did, when I saw the thread in the "Other Games" section (where I am pretty sure I started this thread ), but only because in another forum we dug up the "Baldur's Gate 3" thread last week, which we keep digging up every half year or so since 2004.

There are some more or less cryptic messages in the page code, that do not appear on the page itself. The common guess is a graphic update or iphone port.

[Zevox]

Mega Man 8 was released in December of 1996. Mega Man 9 was released in September of 2008, nearly 12 years later. Granted there were plenty of spin-off Mega Man titles in other sub-series in between, but the original series lay dormant for quite a long time.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 and 3 are in a similar position - 2 was released in February 2000, 3 was released in February 2011, so 11 years in between them.

Zevox

[Tyndmyr]

X-com, perhaps?

[erikun]

Final Fantasy IV was released in 1991; its direct sequel was released in 2008. That's a 17 year difference.

Kunio-kun/River City Ransom had a 14 year break between Super Dodgeball Brawlers and their previous game on the Super Famicom. That would be 16 years if you're counting the series's absence from NA.


Of course, I'm not quite clear what we're judging here. Why does Baldur's Gate 3, a game that may not even exist, count while Duke Nukem Forever-in-development not count?

[Yora]

Baldur's Gate doesn't count. It only has still people waiting for it and I wondered how often a series did continued after 12 year break.

[Cikomyr]

I wonder why anybody would consider making a new Baldur's Gate game. The story effectively reached its natural ending. The style of game it presented is not favored by game designers anymore.

Even story-heavy companies like Bioware seem more interested in COOOLZ GAMEPLAY over substantial storyline (see Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3)

[Mordokai]

There are some more or less cryptic messages in the page code, that do not appear on the page itself. The common guess is a graphic update or iphone port.

So I see. But be that as it may, for me the series finished with death of Amylessan and the saga of children of Bhaal is now finished, for better or worse.

That and I'm a nostalgic sucker. Whatever fancy 3D graphics and effects they'd come up with today, they would come nowhere near to glory of Infinity Engine.

[t209]

Fallout New Vegas- It's just repurposed Van Buren. (12 years after release of Fallout 2)

[Yora]

So I see. But be that as it may, for me the series finished with death of Amylessan and the saga of children of Bhaal is now finished, for better or worse.

Which is why we keep telling it's not going to happen for 10 years.
Bakc then, it was just stupid. Now it's rediculous.

[Traab]

I was thinking everquest and everquest 2, but the sequal came out sooner than I thought. Maybe it just felt like everquest had been out forever considering how freaking long it took to level up in it.

[Psyren]

Tron wins at 20 years between installments

[Hiro Protagonest]

Mega Man 8 was released in December of 1996. Mega Man 9 was released in September of 2008, nearly 12 years later. Granted there were plenty of spin-off Mega Man titles in other sub-series in between, but the original series lay dormant for quite a long time.

To me, Megaman will always be the virtual brother of a kid named Lan...

Is there even a way for the X and Zero series to go together? I have a feeling there should be. And since they're robots, I feel like they should connect to the original series too.

[Tyndmyr]

Tron wins at 20 years between installments

Yeah, it's pretty hard to beat Tron...

[tyckspoon]

Is there even a way for the X and Zero series to go together? I have a feeling there should be. And since they're robots, I feel like they should connect to the original series too.

Yes, although it's kind of weird because the relevant games have multiple endings.. and also because they pretty much ended that particular part of the story line around.. X6, I think.. and then *kept making X games* (really really bad ones, to boot.) Basically, at some point in the story Zero either gets damaged so badly that he's effectively dead, or he's overcome by the Sigma virus (or both at once.) His body gets sealed in a repair capsule in the desert/he quarantines himself until his own systems can figure out a way to make him safe, fast forward a couple hundred years -> Zero games.

(Something similar actually connects the original series to the X set; again, the link is Zero. He's Wiley's creation, designed to be the ultimate robot and destroy Megaman once and for all.. I don't know if he actually achieves that or not, but he's one of the most dangerous 'rogue' robots up until the point he decides to go heroic instead for some reason. Capcom.. isn't very good at storytelling in this series.)

[Drascin]

Yes, although it's kind of weird because the relevant games have multiple endings.. and also because they pretty much ended that particular part of the story line around.. X6, I think.. and then *kept making X games* (really really bad ones, to boot.) Basically, at some point in the story Zero either gets damaged so badly that he's effectively dead, or he's overcome by the Sigma virus (or both at once.) His body gets sealed in a repair capsule in the desert/he quarantines himself until his own systems can figure out a way to make him safe, fast forward a couple hundred years -> Zero games.

See, the thing is, Inafune wanted to end the X series at X5, and then go on with Zero series - and you'll notice that done like that, it fits perfectly well! However, Capcom disagreed, on the ground that X games were making them a gazillion yens (a valid reason, all told) and forced him to keep making X games, despite the fact its story arc had been spent already and the newer games made very little sense chronologically speaking.

[Siosilvar]

I can't help but wonder if this has been prompted by the appearance of a new Baldur's Gate site.

Is there a point to the above site, other than somewhat improved logo?

Also, I really should finish that BG run I started like a year ago...

It did, when I saw the thread in the "Other Games" section (where I am pretty sure I started this thread ), but only because in another forum we dug up the "Baldur's Gate 3" thread last week, which we keep digging up every half year or so since 2004.

There are some more or less cryptic messages in the page code, that do not appear on the page itself. The common guess is a graphic update or iphone port.

Here's the comments:

<!-- February 29, 2012 -->
<!-- Shadowy Figure- Raise Dead : Infinity Engine -->

<!-- Take heart fellow adventurers, for you have curried the favor of Boo, the only miniature giant space hamster in the Realm! -->

[page content was here]

<!-- I can teach you how to use your wrath. -->

[Muz]

Hmm. Deus Ex came out in, what, 2000? Then we didn't get a sequel until August 2011.

(And yes, I know. I'm choosing to ignore it.)

[Tiki Snakes]

Tron wins at 20 years between installments

If we're counting ports to different consoles as entries in the series, it does seem to have the lead.

Otherwise, Yars Revenge makes 29 years between entries in the series, which is going to be hard to beat.

[TheOtherSidhe]

Kid Icarus seems to be a good contender at 20 years as well.

[Lifeson]

Here's the comments:

<!-- February 29, 2012 -->
<!-- Shadowy Figure- Raise Dead : Infinity Engine -->

<!-- Take heart fellow adventurers, for you have curried the favor of Boo, the only miniature giant space hamster in the Realm! -->

[page content was here]

<!-- I can teach you how to use your wrath. -->

Those are new, apart from the Raise Dead bit.

Does anyone have a record somewhere of all the cryptic messages they've been putting down?