Knack II is Reportedly in Development

Knack is a platforming beat ’em up directed by Mark Cerny, who famously worked on iconic games including Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon. As a result, the initial E3 showing was designed to showcase the PlayStation 4’s capabilities and unique experiences possible on Sony’s latest console. However, the game received a fairly mixed response on release and currently has a Metascore of 54. Typically, launch titles act as a technical demo and lack an engaging story. From a visual standpoint, Knack is very impressive but this wasn’t enough to hold people’s interests.

You have to give credit to Sony for creating a new IP, but there aren’t that many people who remember Knack in a fond way. Despite this, according to NeoGAF, a sequel is being developed! The information comes from Mindy Lang’s LinkedIn page which lists her employment and role for Knack II. On the other hand, since this went public, Mindy Lang has removed the job posting from her professional profile. Perhaps Sony wanted its development to remain a secret and announce it during this year’s E3 conference.

Honestly, I’m surprised to see the revival of Knack, providing the listing is correct, because it really didn’t manage to excite many people or help system sales. Hopefully, the studio has been given a greater time frame to work on the gameplay mechanics and story. It’s possible this could restore Knack’s reputation and provide consumers with an experience the original was designed to be. Nevertheless, it’s going to be an extremely difficult task because the gaming community is already hostile towards a sequel. I would like to see it do well, because a large part of my childhood revolved around quirky platformers from Sony.

On another note, if Knack II is apparently in development, this also might suggest that The Order: 1886 is turning into a franchise. I mention this because it received quite poor reviews, and became known for its absurdly short story, padded out with QTEs and mundane cover shooting.