Evolve 2: The Sequel That Almost Was (and Featured a Dead Space Rip-Off?!)
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Concept art reveals a scrapped Evolve sequel featuring a massive asteroid mining station with serious Dead Space vibes, hinting at a potentially awesome (and terrifying) direction for the franchise that never came to be. Maybe one day we'll get that space monster hunt we deserve!
Right, so you remember Evolve, yeah? Turtle Rock's asymmetrical monster-hunting mashup that, let's be honest, kinda face-planted due to *aggressive* monetization? Well, turns out they had a sequel in the works. And bloody hell, it sounds… interesting.
Courtesy of Rock Paper Shotgun (cheers, mates!), we've got a glimpse into the scrapped Evolve 2, thanks to concept art unearthed from the portfolio of TJ Frame, a senior concept artist at Turtle Rock back in the day. Frame mentioned that work began on a sequel after Evolve's release, but sadly, it was canned after a few months of pre-production. Fair dinkum, that's a bummer.
But here's where it gets a bit wild. One of the proposed locations? A massive asteroid mining station called The Akhenaten. Sound familiar? If you're getting Dead Space vibes, you're not alone. Imagine stalking a colossal, evolving monster through the claustrophobic, zero-G corridors of the Ishimura. (Or, you know, a *similar* vessel). Yes please!
Frame's portfolio apparently included a bunch of art for the abandoned Evolve 2. Some images are labelled "Evolve II", while others seemed to point toward DLC for the original Evolve. Regardless, the Akhenaten concept art is properly gnarly – think industrial decay meets alien infestation. The subliminal theme Frame and their colleagues were working with? "Nasty insect biting/liquefying paralysed and helpless prey". Yikes! Picture yourself standing on that insect's abdomen, attempting to harpoon Godzilla, but in space. In short, utter chaos, which frankly sounds like a good time.
Of course, it all fell apart. Turtle Rock, after the Back 4 Blood experience, were acquired by Tencent in 2021. Their current project? Top secret. So, while we won't be stalking evolved beasties in space anytime soon, at least we can daydream about what could have been. And if you're missing the asymmetrical monster mayhem, the RPS article points out that the original Aliens vs Predator is apparently enjoying a community-driven revival. Worth a look, eh?
So, Evolve 2: a Dead Space-esque monster hunt that never was. What's the lesson here, then? Maybe that even the coolest concepts can't survive relentless monetization. Or maybe that space mining stations are inherently terrifying. Reckon it's a bit of both.
Tags: Evolve, Turtle Rock Studios, Concept Art, Dead Space, Cancelled Games
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun