Blue Prince developer Tonda Ros confirmed in a November 22, 2025 interview with Polygon that he will not make a direct sequel to his breakout indie hit, despite persistent fan requests and the game’s critical and commercial success. The atmospheric roguelike puzzle game consumed over eight years of development, and Ros stated that creating a proper sequel or even localizing the existing game for wider audiences would essentially mean building a second game from scratch. Instead, he’s interested in pursuing completely standalone projects across different genres, though he left the door open for a spiritual successor in the Blue Prince universe.
Why Blue Prince 2 Won’t Happen
Ros explained his reasoning with brutal honesty during the interview. Expanding Blue Prince through localization or a direct sequel would demand personal sacrifices he’s unwilling to make. The original project took more than eight years to complete, and he believes properly localizing the game for international audiences would require developing an entirely new game worth of work. He’s not prepared to risk burnout or abandon the opportunity to create something completely new just to satisfy sequel expectations.
The developer acknowledged the business temptation. Creating Blue Prince 2 would be the safe choice given the original’s success, but Ros views sequels as a trap many developers fall into because they’re risk-averse. He understands why indie studios need sustainable revenue streams and why sequels represent the safest financial option, but he’s committed to prioritizing creative fulfillment over commercial security. Each project he makes, whether games or films, will stand alone as a distinct entity rather than building franchises.
The Riven Comparison
When discussing potential future projects, Ros cited Myst and Riven as his model for sequels done right. He specifically said he prefers Myst followed by Riven rather than Myst 2, highlighting how Riven served as a spiritual successor that expanded the universe while maintaining complete creative independence. This suggests any future Blue Prince universe game would follow a similar philosophy, existing in the same world but telling an entirely different story with different mechanics and possibly a different genre.
Ros confirmed there won’t be a direct sequel but hedged slightly on ruling out the universe entirely. He stated there might be a game set in that world, but he can’t even guarantee it will remain in the same genre. His priority is preserving the distinctiveness that made the original resonate rather than retreading familiar ground. Whatever he creates next, whether in the Blue Prince universe or something completely different, will embrace as many creative risks as the original did.
What Made Blue Prince Special
Understanding why a sequel feels wrong requires understanding what Blue Prince achieved. The game merged roguelike mechanics with puzzle-solving in Mount Holly Manor, a mysterious mansion with 46 rooms spread across a 5×9 grid. Every time you open a door, you draft one of three room blueprints to add to the mansion, creating a procedurally generated layout that changes with each run. You’re searching for the elusive 46th room as protagonist Simon P. Jones, following clues left in his grandfather’s will.
The genius lies in how systems interconnect. Resources like gold, keys, gems, food, and dice all serve specific purposes in managing your exploration. Items you collect, from spades for digging to sleeping masks that grant extra steps in bedrooms, fundamentally change your strategies. The game presents genuine puzzles requiring logic and observation while simultaneously operating as a roguelike where resource management and draft choices determine success or failure.
Critics praised Blue Prince as one of 2025’s best indie games, with multiple outlets calling it a masterpiece that defied genre classification. The cel-shaded art style perfectly captured the moody atmosphere. The narrative slowly revealed layers of emotional complexity about family, legacy, and inheritance. The puzzle design balanced accessibility with depth, offering subtle hints for stuck players while giving purists space to solve everything from scratch. Most importantly, it felt genuinely original in a way few games achieve.
What Could Come Next
During development of Blue Prince, Ros generated approximately six promising ideas for future projects. He mentioned a multiplayer puzzle game and a metroidvania concept as two examples, though he hasn’t decided which to pursue. The candidates are wildly different genres from each other, reflecting his commitment to creative diversity. He’s not ready to tease anything specific because he genuinely hasn’t chosen his next direction yet.
Ros has a background in filmmaking and previously dreamed of making a feature film. That ambition hasn’t disappeared, suggesting future projects might not even be games. Whatever medium he chooses, his philosophy remains consistent. Each project should stand independently, feel completely distinct from previous work, and take creative risks rather than playing it safe. This approach might frustrate fans hoping for more Blue Prince content, but it reflects artistic integrity that’s increasingly rare in an industry obsessed with franchises and sequels.
The Localization Challenge
Fans have persistently requested localization to make Blue Prince accessible to non-English speakers, but Ros isn’t pursuing that either. The game contains extensive text, notes scattered throughout rooms that provide crucial puzzle clues, and narrative context delivered through environmental storytelling. Translating everything would require not just linguistic work but ensuring puzzles remain solvable across languages and cultural contexts.
The developer compared localization work to creating a second game, which would consume years of additional development time. That effort would come at the cost of starting an entirely new project with fresh ideas. For a solo developer who already invested eight years into the original, the opportunity cost of localization simply doesn’t make sense. He’d rather let Blue Prince exist as it is, a complete artistic statement, while moving forward with something new.
The Indie Development Philosophy
Ros’s stance represents a particular philosophy about indie game development that prioritizes creative satisfaction over commercial optimization. He recognizes that larger studios or even other indie developers need to think differently about sustainability, where sequels provide financial security that allows continued operation. For him personally, the safety of a sequel represents a creative dead end that would prevent him from exploring new ideas.
This approach carries significant risk. Blue Prince established name recognition and a devoted fanbase eager for more content. Walking away from that guaranteed audience to pursue unproven concepts in different genres could mean his next project fails commercially even if it succeeds artistically. The game industry is littered with talented developers whose follow-ups underperformed because they abandoned what made their initial success work.
However, Ros seems genuinely unconcerned about playing it safe. His eight-year investment in Blue Prince demonstrates patience and commitment to realizing a complete vision rather than rushing to capitalize on trends. The game’s success validated his willingness to take risks, creating a hybrid roguelike-puzzle experience that defied easy categorization. Whether that success came from the specific execution or from Ros’s general creative sensibility remains to be seen with future projects.
A Plea for Help
On a personal note, developer Dogubomb made an urgent appeal in early November 2025 for one of Blue Prince’s lead playtesters. Matthew Iggy Kowalski, who contributed extensively to the project and developed brilliant strategies the developers never considered, needs a living kidney donor within months. Iggy suffers from autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and has no other viable treatment options.
Iggy created a website explaining his condition and the donor process, working to dispel myths about needing perfect matches or prohibitive health risks for donors. He emphasized that costs shouldn’t fall on prospective donors and offered to answer any questions about the process. Anyone interested in helping can contact him at zipiggydodah@gmail.com. The Blue Prince community rallied around the cause, demonstrating the meaningful connections indie games can create beyond just entertainment.
FAQs
Will there be a Blue Prince 2?
No. Developer Tonda Ros confirmed there will not be a direct sequel to Blue Prince. He stated the original took over eight years to develop and creating a proper sequel would require personal sacrifices he’s unwilling to make.
Could there be a spiritual successor to Blue Prince?
Possibly. Ros left the door open for a game set in the Blue Prince universe, though he can’t guarantee it would be in the same genre. He cited Riven as his model, existing in the Myst universe while being a completely standalone experience.
What is Blue Prince?
Blue Prince is an indie roguelike puzzle game where you explore Mount Holly Manor, a procedurally generated mansion with 46 rooms. You draft room blueprints, manage resources, solve puzzles, and uncover a narrative about family legacy through environmental storytelling.
Will Blue Prince get localized for other languages?
No. Ros stated that properly localizing the game would essentially require developing a second game from scratch due to the extensive text and puzzle content. He’s not willing to invest years into localization instead of creating new projects.
What will Tonda Ros work on next?
He hasn’t decided. During Blue Prince’s development, Ros came up with approximately six project ideas including a multiplayer puzzle game and a metroidvania concept. The candidates span wildly different genres, and he’s committed to making each project completely standalone.
How long did Blue Prince take to develop?
Over eight years. The extended development time reflects the game’s ambition and the small team size. This lengthy investment is part of why Ros isn’t interested in creating a sequel or extensive localization work.
Is Blue Prince more roguelike or puzzle game?
It’s both. The game defies easy classification by merging roguelike mechanics like resource management, procedural generation, and persistent upgrades with genuine puzzle-solving that requires logic and observation. Critics praised it as a unique hybrid that successfully balances both genres.
What does Ros mean by wanting sequels like Riven not Myst 2?
Ros prefers spiritual successors that exist in the same universe but tell completely different stories with independent mechanics, similar to how Riven expanded the Myst world while standing alone. He’s not interested in direct numbered sequels that retread the same ground.
Conclusion
Tonda Ros’s decision to walk away from a guaranteed Blue Prince sequel demonstrates rare creative conviction in an industry increasingly dominated by franchise thinking. While fans might be disappointed, his commitment to standalone projects that take genuine risks is exactly what produced Blue Prince in the first place. Whether his next game succeeds or fails, the industry benefits from developers willing to prioritize artistic vision over commercial safety. If he does eventually return to the Blue Prince universe, it will be on his own terms, as something genuinely new rather than a retreading of familiar ground.