This Legendary PS2 Game Came and Went 20 Years Ago Without a Sequel

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The early 2000s saw fierce competition among game developers and publishers to create the ultimate first-person shooter, resulting in many popular and successful games. This period launched iconic franchises like Call of Duty and Halo, among others. One standout title was Black, developed by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2006. Despite receiving excellent reviews and attracting a dedicated player base, a sequel to Black was never made. The original game remains available to play digitally, but the franchise hasn’t expanded beyond that single title.

It’s common for fantastic games not to get sequels, and there are usually clear reasons why – like disappointing sales even with good reviews, changes within the game company, or losing the rights to make more games. However, that wasn’t the case with a potential sequel to Black. The developers definitely wanted to make one and had even started working on it. Sadly, disagreements about the game’s direction – the classic issue of ‘creative differences’ – ultimately stopped the project. While fans were disappointed, a similar game called Bodycount came out in 2011, but it wasn’t a true continuation of the Black story.

Black Is an Amazing FPS Modern Players Should Check Out

Released during a pivotal time for first-person shooters, Black quickly established itself as a standout title thanks to the skill of Criterion Games. The game takes place in the Russian republics of Ingushetia and Chechnya, putting players in the role of Sergeant First Class Jack Kellar, a member of a covert CIA team. The story unfolds with Kellar being interrogated, facing the threat of his operations becoming public and a likely court-martial if he doesn’t explain the events that led to his capture. The game then flashes back four days to show Kellar and his unit confronting the dangerous Seventh Wave terrorist group.

The game continues with a series of missions, and the story of Black is revealed through intricate details and strong performances from the voice actors. As a first-person shooter, Black plays much like other games from the mid-2000s. You can carry two weapons at a time, forcing you to think strategically about what you’ll need for each mission. It includes objectives, targets to eliminate, environments you can destroy, and a detailed heads-up display that keeps you informed. A key part of what makes Black so engaging is its sound design – a lot of effort went into making each weapon sound realistic and impactful.

Upon its release, Black was highly praised by both critics and gamers, and it achieved solid sales, even winning awards for its PlayStation 2 version. The Xbox version was also well-received, although Black seems to have sold slightly better on PS2. This could be because of strong competition from games like Call of Duty and Halo, which were major drivers of console sales at the time. The game’s creator, Stuart Black, had ideas for a follow-up, but disagreements with Electronic Arts led to the project being cancelled, and it’s unlikely a sequel will ever be made.

A Black Sequel Is Highly Unlikely

Although fans would love a sequel to Black, it probably won’t happen, considering the game came out 20 years ago and there’s been no discussion of one for a long time. After the sequel plans were cancelled, Stuart Black moved his team to work on Bodycount with Codemasters, which offers a similar experience for those who enjoyed Black. While a direct sequel isn’t in the works, Microsoft did make the original Black playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S starting in 2018. Physical copies of the game are still relatively affordable, usually around $20 on sites like eBay. Sadly, Sony hasn’t done the same, making it hard to play Black on current PlayStation consoles.

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2026-02-28 23:16