Back in August last year, CI Games announced a new game in the Lords of the Fallen franchise simply titled “The Lords of the Fallen.” While some might assume that is a reboot and that’s the reason for the title, that’s not really the case.

Speaking in the latest issue of EDGE magazine (#381), HexWorks, the studio developing The Lords of the Fallen, explained why they chose to title it the same as the original released back in 2014. HexWorks Senior brand manager Ryan Hill explains that a numbered sequel would have given the wrong impression, as it would lead fans to believe it’s a direct follow up to Deck 13’s 2014 game.

Senior brand manager Ryan Hill explains that a numbered sequel would have given the wrong impression, leading fans to expect a direct follow-on and failing to sell the leap in quality and variety that Hexworks is trying to achieve, while the use of a subtitle would have made it look like a spinoff. Yet the team still wanted to acknowledge the connection to the first game – and if The Batman, The Wolverine and The Suicide Squad can do it, why not follow their lead? “It might not be the clearest route forward,” Hill admits, “but I think by the time we’ve launched, everyone will be educated on what this is.”

In another part of the same interview, Saul Gascon, Executive Producer at HexWorks explains that the action-RPG is both a sequel and a reboot.

Gascon describes the new game as “both a sequel and a reboot. Basically, we revised everything from the first game”. In fact, it seems that anyone seeking continuity will mostly have to be content with the game’s plotline, which recalls past events and characters to use as building blocks for a scenario set 1,000 years later. The demon god Adyr will once again act as the primary antagonist, for instance, with the radiant church still representing the counter force against him.

You can check out gameplay of The Lords of the Fallen right here. The game still has no definite release date but is in development for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.