The PlayStation 3 had a rocky start. It arrived late to the party (Xbox 360 launched 11 months prior) and its selection of launch games was limited. But one title stood out – and it proved to be an early success for Sony. That game was Resistance: Fall of Man. Now, 11 years since the series’ last instalment, fans are wondering if there will ever be a Resistance 4 on PS5.
Fall of Man was a sci-fi first-person shooter set in an alternate post-World War II history. Horrific alien creatures had started to invade Earth. As the title suggests, you played as a member of the resistance forces – Sergeant Nathan Hale. It was followed two years later by Resistance 2. Resistance 3 later arrived in 2011. This final entry was undoubtedly the least popular and failed to generate much buzz. But with the recent news that Microsoft intends to acquire Activision Blizzard, perhaps its time for Resistance to make a comeback and help bolster Sony’s PS5 line-up. Here’s what we know about a possible sequel…
Why was Resistance 3 the final game in the series?
As I’ve alluded to, Resistance 3 failed to live up to expectations. It was well-received (although less so than its predecessors) but shifted far fewer copies. In its launch month of September 2011, it sold a measly 180,000 copies. Resistance 3 ultimately performed below the standards set by the first two games. It also seems that Sony and Insomniac had lost enthusiasm for the series.
Insomniac CEO Ted Price confirmed in a 2012 YouTube video that they were done with series. He said: “We are not moving on with the Resistance franchise”, adding: “Resistance has reached its logical conclusion in terms of the story we wanted to tell”. Price also noted the series would “continue to live on” thanks to Sony.
Ted Price told GamesRadar in 2013 that “Resistance 4, while possible and something we seriously considered, wasn’t going to be the right game for us at that time. We wanted to do something new.” He continued: “One of the aspects of building franchises, and sticking with them for a long time is that even the team can get franchise fatigue. We had been pushing hard with Resistance from the beginning – which was a tough birth – to Resistance 3, which is a game we were all very proud of. With Resistance 3 it felt like we had capped off, or at least closed a major chapter in that franchise. So, a lot of the team was looking forward to doing something different.”
Will There Be A Resistance 4 on PS5?
Since the PlayStation 5’s release, players have complained about the small number of new and exciting games. And now Microsoft are in the process of buying Activision Blizzard (which panicked some PlayStation owners into thinking that Call of Duty may become exclusive to Xbox), a new Resistance game has been suggested as a possible counter-move. But how likely is it to happen? Right now, we’d say the chances of Resistance 4 are pretty slim.
How do we know? Well, earlier this year games industry veteran Colin Moriarty shared on the Sacred Symbols podcast that Resistance 4 was pitched to Sony by Insomniac. However, it was ultimately turned down. Supposedly because too many post-apocalyptic games were in the planning or production phases at once. That list of games included The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, and Killzone Shadow Fall.
The previous pitch being turned down certainly suggests Sony have little interest in the franchise. That may be disappointing news – but video games come and go. Some of them just aren’t meant to stick around for years and years. And only the very best and most popular franchises last for decades. Post-apocalyptic games haven’t gone anywhere either. The Last of Us Part II was released in 2020 and Horizon Forbidden West is almost with us. So perhaps there just isn’t room for Resistance 4 right now.
Resistance 4 release date
If you’re asking “when is Resistance 4 coming out?”, you’re going to be disappointed with what I’m about to say. There aren’t any current plans we’re aware of for a new game in the series. Zero details have been shared. And that means we have no idea about a possible release date. Sorry. We’d love a new Resistance just as much as anyone else – we really enjoyed it all those years ago. We’ll be sure to let you know if anything is confirmed, though.
Do you think there will be a Resistance 4 on PS5? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
