Former THQ Vice President: The development of Titan Quest 2 was first approved 19 years ago, but it was halted due to marketing issues and the lead game designer not being "PR-friendly"
The sequel to Titan Quest was released in early access on August 1, 2025—almost two decades after the original's release. According to former THQ Vice President of Studio Operations Richard Browne, the game could have launched much earlier, but marketers got in the way.
Titan Quest II
Browne shared his recollections on LinkedIn. He explained that THQ had given the "green light" for Titan Quest 2 back in 2006, following the excellent sales of the first game. Developers from Iron Lore Entertainment prepared a demo version for the Xbox 360 in three months, but the marketing department rejected it.
According to Browne, the demo version allegedly did not perform well enough in tests conducted using Emsense—special sensors that measured players' breathing rate, heart rate, and other parameters to determine their reaction to the project. During these tests, Titan Quest 2 failed to elicit a response, which became one of the arguments for halting development.
Additionally, Browne claims that marketers did not enjoy working with the series' lead game designer and co-founder of Iron Lore Entertainment, Brian Sullivan.
"Brian wasn't PR-friendly: he was a great guy, he just wore khaki shorts, black socks, and loafers, which made their job difficult," the manager noted.
This largely determined the fate of Titan Quest 2, Browne stated. The publisher chose to cancel the sequel and redirect funds to an internal project.
The recently released continuation of Titan Quest was developed not by Iron Lore Entertainment, but by Grimlore Games. It was published by THQ Nordic. The game is expected to remain in early access for about a year. Currently, the sequel can only be played on PC, but it will eventually be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.