While many developers striving to build big franchises for years to stay, the creators of the upcoming action-platformer Kena: Bridge of Spirits does not share the same approach. The devs revealed that a direct Kena sequel is unlikely to happen, yet the studio has some plans to keep exploring the game’s world in other mediums.
In an interview with SoulVision Magazine, the independent studio Ember Labs co-founders Mike and Josh Grier talked about their plans for the future of Kena and its eye-catching world. The creators expressed uncertainty regarding Kena: Bridge of Spirits potential follow-up, stating they’d rather make “another IP with the same style in terms of gameplay and story-driven experience.”
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“I don’t know if we will do a direct sequel next,” Josh Grier briefly answered. At the same time, the developers don’t want to abandon their new fantasy universe, which has “a lot of storytelling potential.” That’s why the Grier brothers are also interested in exploring the new world of Kena in different creative mediums aside from video games. “Exploring and taking it into a more linear experience like a TV show or film is a possibility,” Josh added.
We still don’t know how Kena: Bridge of Spirits will be received, but fans will be glad to hear its world isn't likely to be abandoned. Right after its reveal, Kena with its rich visuals and little cute companions was often compared to animation works of Pixar or DreamWorks animation studios. Perhaps, a potential Kena animated series might draw even more attention to the brand, while further promoting Bridge of Spirits itself.
It is worth noting that many developers choose quite the opposite path than Ember Labs. For example, just recently we learned that Russian studio Mundfish had already begun to discuss a sequel for the upcoming Atomic Heart. The team has no intention to release just one game and wishes to continue working on the Atomic Heart brand “for years to come.”
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is arriving on September 21 across PS4, PS5, and PC (via Epic Games Store). According to a recent leak, the title will take only 17 GB in file size on PS5.
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