The Developer of 2025’s Best-Reviewed Game Just Said He’ll Never Make a Sequel to Anything Ever

In an industry obsessed with franchises, sequels, and building IP that can be milked for decades, one indie developer just threw down a definitive statement that goes against everything modern gaming believes in. Tonda Ros, creator of Blue Prince, the critically acclaimed puzzle adventure that won Best Indie Game at the Golden Joystick Awards and is currently nominated for Game Awards 2025, told IGN in December 2025 that he will never make a sequel. Not just no Blue Prince 2. No sequels to anything he ever makes. Period. After spending eight years crafting what many critics call the best-reviewed game of 2025, Ros is walking away from guaranteed commercial success to chase completely different creative visions. It’s either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish, and honestly, it might be both.

What Even is Blue Prince

If you haven’t played Blue Prince, imagine if someone took roguelike mechanics, deck-building card selection, first-person exploration, atmospheric horror, intricate puzzle solving, and narrative mystery, then blended them into something that shouldn’t work but absolutely does. You explore Mt. Holly, a mansion with ever-shifting rooms that change configuration every in-game day. The mansion has 45 rooms arranged on a 5×9 grid, and your goal is to reach the rumored hidden Room 46.

Every time you open a door, you draft one of three randomly offered rooms to add to the mansion. Choosing a closet gives you items but no exits. Picking a bedroom gives you extra steps to explore further but fewer resources. The mansion isn’t truly random, there are patterns and rules governing how it works, but discovering those patterns takes dozens of hours and careful observation. Beyond the surface goal of reaching Room 46, the game contains layers of mysteries, lore, puzzles, and secrets that extend far past that initial objective.

The Game Took Eight Years to Make

Tonda Ros started developing Blue Prince approximately eight years ago as a solo project under his studio Dogubomb. In interviews, he’s described the development as deceptive, where he constantly thought he was about one year away from finishing but that year stretched into eight. From the first year until last year, I was eternally under the impression that the game would be released within one year, he told Digital Spy. In total, it took eight.

That’s eight years of his life dedicated to a single vision. Eight years of refining systems, crafting puzzles, writing mysteries, designing rooms, and perfecting the experience. For context, many AAA studios with hundreds of employees struggle to ship games in less time than that. Ros did it essentially alone, serving as director, writer, designer, and visual artist. The game launched April 10, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC to universal critical acclaim.

Why He’s Saying No to Sequels

In the IGN interview published December 9, 2025, Ros was asked directly if he’d ever make a Blue Prince 2. His answer was unequivocal: I can confidently state that I won’t be creating a sequel to my previous work because I enjoy crafting standalone projects and then exploring entirely different concepts. The next endeavor might not even fall within the same genres. I plan to experiment and mix things up. You may notice some recurring themes and elements that reflect my interests.

He acknowledged the business logic behind sequels, especially given Blue Prince’s success. It would be very easy for me to do Blue Prince 2, based on how Blue Prince performed. But for me, I feel that is something that a lot of people get into because it’s safer. I totally appreciate why any indie developer or maybe larger studios have that concern about being sustainable. And so many times, a sequel is the safest option. But safe isn’t what drives Ros creatively. He wants to make complete, definitive, standalone experiences that feel finished rather than eternally updating projects or building franchises.

The Philosophy Behind Complete Games

What makes Ros’s stance particularly interesting is how it ties to his philosophy about game design. I do love complete games, he told IGN. And I do love when something is definitively done. So I had tried my best to get everything into the game at launch because that was something I just really wanted. I didn’t want to eternally be updating this. In an era where games launch incomplete and get patched for years, where DLC extends content indefinitely, and where live service models dominate industry thinking, Ros represents the opposite extreme.

He’s planning one final update for Blue Prince over the next year, consisting primarily of bug fixes and polishing rather than major new content. After that, the game is done. Finished. Complete. No more patches, no DLC, no expansions. Just a singular artistic vision realized as fully as possible and then released into the world to stand on its own merits. It’s almost quaint in 2025, this idea that games can simply be finished rather than perpetually monetized platforms.

The Unsolved Mysteries Will Stay Unsolved

This might be disappointing to hear for Blue Prince fans, especially for those still mulling over the game’s remaining unsolved mysteries and wishing there was some sort of answer to them, IGN notes. Blue Prince contains puzzles and secrets that extend far beyond the initial goal of reaching Room 46. Some players have spent hundreds of hours trying to crack every mystery, and not all of them have clear solutions. Polygon even wrote an article titled Blue Prince’s final puzzle is impossible to solve, discussing how one particular poem-based puzzle loses meaning in translation across languages.

Without a sequel or major updates, those mysteries remain as Ros intended them, potentially unsolvable, definitely unanswered. For some players, this is frustrating. The completionist mindset wants clear solutions, definitive answers, and closure on every thread. But for Ros, ambiguity and unresolved elements are features, not bugs. The game challenges players to make peace with uncertainty, to find meaning in the journey rather than demanding concrete conclusions. It’s a philosophy that extends to his entire approach as a creator.

What He’s Making Next

Ros confirmed he’s working on something new, but provided almost no details about what it might be. The next endeavor might not even fall within the same genres, he said. I plan to experiment and mix things up. Given that Blue Prince blends puzzle, strategy, roguelike, and narrative adventure elements, the idea that his next game might be completely different genre-wise opens up infinite possibilities. It could be anything from a pure horror game to a racing simulator to a visual novel.

Whatever it is, don’t expect to see it soon. Ros anticipates spending the next year finishing Blue Prince’s final update and handling bug fixes. Given that Blue Prince took eight years to develop, starting completely fresh on a new project means we’re probably looking at 2033 or later before seeing his next game. That’s an eternity in gaming timelines, where studios pump out annual releases and indies often launch multiple projects within a development cycle that long. But Ros doesn’t seem concerned with speed or quantity. He’s focused on quality and creative fulfillment.

The Industry Reaction Has Been Supportive

Surprisingly, much of the gaming community and industry has responded positively to Ros’s declaration. Reddit discussions show players praising his integrity and artistic vision. Good. The game is fine as a stand alone project, one highly upvoted comment reads. Nothing about it needs a sequel, it’s a perfectly contained game and story. Others appreciate that he’s prioritizing creative satisfaction over commercial exploitation.

However, some business-minded observers question whether this approach is sustainable for an indie developer. Blue Prince’s success provides Ros with financial runway to pursue his next project without immediate pressure, but eight-year development cycles with no franchise building makes it difficult to establish a sustainable studio. If his next game takes another eight years and also sells moderately rather than blockbuster numbers, can he afford to keep working this way? The answer probably depends on his personal financial situation and priorities beyond just gaming.

Why This Matters Beyond One Developer

Tonda Ros declaring he’ll never make sequels represents a philosophical stand against the franchise-building mentality that dominates modern gaming. Major publishers want IP they can iterate on indefinitely. Nintendo makes Mario games forever. Call of Duty releases annually. Even indie darlings like Hollow Knight get sequels because proven formulas reduce risk. Ros is explicitly rejecting that model despite having a proven hit that could easily justify Blue Prince 2, 3, and 4.

His approach echoes how some film directors operate, treating each project as a discrete artistic statement rather than building cinematic universes. Wes Anderson doesn’t make Grand Budapest Hotel 2. Denis Villeneuve isn’t planning Arrival sequels. They move between projects, exploring different ideas with each film. Ros wants gaming to have space for that same approach, where developers can build reputations on distinctive voices and varied output rather than franchises.

The Comparison to Silksong and Others

Interestingly, Blue Prince competed against Hollow Knight: Silksong in the Best Indie category at the Golden Joysticks. Silksong is, of course, a sequel to Hollow Knight, one of the most beloved indie games ever made. Team Cherry spent years developing it, and when it finally released in 2025, it met massive expectations. Some Reddit users noted that if Silksong had released before the Golden Joysticks cutoff, Blue Prince might not have won that category.

The contrast is stark. Team Cherry built a franchise around Hollow Knight’s world and gameplay, expanding it with a sequel that takes place in a new kingdom with a new protagonist but maintains mechanical and aesthetic continuity. That’s a completely valid creative choice that delivered a phenomenal game. Ros is taking the opposite approach, burning bridges to his own success to chase entirely new ideas. Neither approach is objectively better, they’re just different philosophies about what being a creator means.

FAQs

What is Blue Prince?

Blue Prince is a first-person puzzle adventure game with roguelike and strategy elements developed by solo creator Tonda Ros under studio Dogubomb. It launched April 10, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Players explore a mansion with ever-shifting rooms, trying to reach the hidden Room 46 while uncovering mysteries.

Why won’t Tonda Ros make a Blue Prince 2?

Ros stated in a December 2025 IGN interview that he enjoys crafting standalone complete projects and then exploring entirely different concepts. He values finishing games definitively rather than eternally updating them or building franchises.

Will there be DLC or updates for Blue Prince?

Ros plans one final update focused on bug fixes and polish over the next year. After that, the game is complete with no plans for major content updates or DLC.

How long did Blue Prince take to develop?

Approximately eight years. Ros worked on it essentially as a solo developer, serving as director, writer, designer, and visual artist. He constantly thought he was a year away from finishing but the project stretched much longer.

Has Blue Prince won any awards?

Yes, it won Best Indie Game at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards and was nominated for Ultimate Game of the Year and Best Storytelling. It’s also nominated for Best Independent Game and Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2025.

What is Tonda Ros working on next?

He confirmed he’s working on something new but provided almost no details. He said it might not even be in the same genres as Blue Prince and that he plans to experiment. Given the eight-year development cycle for Blue Prince, don’t expect it soon.

Will Blue Prince mysteries ever be solved?

Probably not all of them. The game contains puzzles and secrets that extend far beyond its main objective, and Ros has no plans for sequels or major updates that would provide answers. Some mysteries are intentionally ambiguous.

Is refusing to make sequels financially sustainable?

It depends on individual circumstances. Blue Prince’s success provides financial runway, but eight-year development cycles without franchise building makes long-term sustainability challenging for indie developers. Ros seems willing to accept that trade-off.

How was Blue Prince reviewed?

Extremely well. PC Gamer called it the best-reviewed game of 2025 at launch. Critics praised its layered strategy, compelling mysteries, innovative genre-blending, and how it explores evolving relationships with the spaces we inhabit.

Conclusion

Tonda Ros’s declaration that he’ll never make a sequel to Blue Prince or any future game represents a fascinating counterpoint to modern gaming’s franchise obsession. After spending eight years crafting a critically acclaimed masterpiece that won awards and could easily justify sequels, he’s choosing artistic integrity over commercial safety. Whether this approach proves sustainable long-term remains to be seen. Eight-year development cycles with no franchise building create financial pressure that might not be viable indefinitely. But in an industry where every hit spawns endless sequels, where established IP gets milked dry, and where originality often takes a backseat to proven formulas, Ros’s commitment to standalone complete experiences feels refreshingly principled. Blue Prince stands as a singular artistic statement, a puzzle box that contains exactly what its creator intended and nothing more. No DLC to extend its life artificially. No sequel to capitalize on success. Just a finished game that players can engage with on its own terms, solving its mysteries or accepting their ambiguity, then moving on. In eight years or so, Ros will release something completely different, and we’ll start the cycle again. It’s an old-fashioned approach to creativity that feels almost radical in 2025. And honestly, gaming could use more of that energy. Not every developer needs to follow Ros’s path, franchises and sequels serve valuable purposes. But having space for artists who prioritize creative exploration over commercial exploitation keeps the medium vital and unpredictable. Blue Prince proves that approach can produce something truly special. Now we just have to wait another eight years to see what Tonda Ros does next.