A proper sequel to Sleeping Dogs was once in development at United Front Games, and the plans for it were far more ambitious than simply returning Wei Shen to Hong Kong.
Sleeping Dogs 2 entered pre-production in 2013. The project never reached full production, but United Front had already created design documents, schedules, proof-of-concept technology and early prototypes before the sequel was ultimately cancelled later that year.
The sequel would have continued Wei Shen’s story, but this time he would have been joined by a second playable police officer named Henry Fang. Fang was described as a conflicted and corrupt partner, giving the story two very different perspectives.
One example outlined for the game had Wei and Fang splitting up during an investigation. Wei could pursue information using his more physical methods, while Fang might break into a suspect’s home and plant evidence. Players would eventually need to experience both sides to understand the full story.
The setting was also expected to expand considerably. Instead of simply returning to the same Hong Kong environment, United Front planned a new location known as the Pearl River Megacity, giving the developers room to create a much larger and more varied Chinese open world.
Players would reportedly have been able to arrest practically any NPC they encountered, while a revamped reputation system would track Wei’s standing with different factions around the city. Those relationships could then affect bonuses, missions and opportunities available to the player.
One of the biggest additions was co-op.
United Front wanted players to be able to explore the world alone or team up for dedicated co-operative missions and activities, including races, fight clubs and combat challenges. The studio was even exploring procedurally generated co-op missions that could adapt depending on how far the host player had progressed through the main story.
The sequel also had some unusually ambitious online ideas for a predominantly single-player game.
United Front described one system as “massively single player.” Actions performed by players around the world could potentially influence crime levels in everyone else’s games. If enough players cleaned up a particular neighbourhood, for example, that location could become easier to police across the wider player base.
There were even plans for a connected mobile game starring Inspector Jane Teng. Players would manage police resources and territories from their phone or tablet, with some of those decisions potentially appearing inside the main game.
Despite the scope of the plans, Sleeping Dogs 2 was still early in development when it disappeared. Its core design was still changing and only basic experimental prototypes had been produced. Square Enix never formally gave the project a full green light.
Budget priorities were reportedly part of the problem, with franchises such as Tomb Raider and Hitman receiving greater attention from Square Enix at the time. United Front had also lost experienced staff following the difficult development of the original Sleeping Dogs.
Some of the multiplayer concepts eventually fed into Triad Wars, an online spin-off set in the Sleeping Dogs universe. That project was itself cancelled before release, and United Front Games later closed in 2016.
Interest in the series has never completely disappeared. Former Sleeping Dogs designer Alastair Cornish has said he still believes another sequel could potentially happen one day, although it would require the right development costs, scope and circumstances to align. There is currently no indication that a new Sleeping Dogs game is actually in development.
More than a decade later, the abandoned plans show just how different Sleeping Dogs 2 could have been: two playable cops, a larger open world, dynamic crime systems, co-op and a city designed to react to the actions of players around the world.