Evil Genius, a villain mastermind simulator released back in 2004, is finally getting a sequel.
Evil Genius 2 was announced by Jason Kingsley, the CEO of Rebellion, which acquired the rights to Evil Genius when its original developer Elixir Studios shut down.
Evil Genius 2 Under Development
Kingsley confirmed that work is underway for Evil Genius 2 in a video interview, adding that the upcoming title is not a remaster of the original but rather a full-fledged sequel.
"Today we are in a position where we can happily say Evil Genius 2 is an actual thing we're actually coding, designing and arting, right now!" Production started in the spring for Evil Genius 2, which is slated to be released for the PC. Rebellion, however, is open to launching the game on consoles and mobile as well.
Rebellion first dropped hints of an Evil Genius sequel back in 2013, and the company was ready to launch a crowdfunding campaign then for Evil Genius 2. However, the developer decided not to push though with the project as it was transitioning into becoming its own publisher at the time, and it had to invest resources into other projects such as Battlezone for the PlayStation VR.
The original Evil Genius combined lair management with world domination, blending base-building with real-time combat in the mission to take over the world. On each level, players build a base that is protected by minions and defense mechanisms against incoming secret agents. It played similarly to another bad guy-focused franchise, Dungeon Keeper, and while it did not reach the same popularity as the dungeon simulator, it has maintained a strong following throughout the year.
Rebellion, however, did not state a definite release window for Evil Genius 2, so aspiring villains may want to take their time in crafting the perfect plan for world domination.
Will Rebellion Do A Good Job With 'Evil Genius 2'?
Rebellion is not the original developer of Evil Genius, and a previous attempt at reviving the franchise as a free-to-play Facebook game entitled Evil Genius Online was a relative failure.
This does not mean that gamers should look forward to being disappointed with Evil Genius 2, though. Rebellion is the developer of Sniper Elite series, so it has had its fair share of success.
Development of Evil Genius 2 is still very early in the process, Rebellion added, with the game to be the first real-time title that will run on the company's in-house engine named Asura. Once the engine is ready, only then can Rebellion start to really get into the development of the long-awaited sequel.
