Legacy of Kain Returns March 31
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance was officially announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC during Sony's February State of Play event, with a release date set for March 31. The announcement marks the return of the cult-classic franchise after years of dormancy, featuring new narrative arcs and gameplay innovations. Sony's State of Play also showcased other major titles including a new God of War entry.
- The last core game in the series, *Legacy of Kain: Defiance*, was released in 2003, marking a more than two-decade gap before the announcement of *Ascendance*. - Over the years, several attempts to revive the franchise were canceled, including a sequel titled *Legacy of Kain: The Dark Prophecy* in 2004 and a more recent project, *Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun*, which was scrapped in 2012 after three years of development. - The multiplayer component of the canceled *Dead Sun* project was salvaged and released as a standalone free-to-play game called *Nosgoth*, which ran from 2015 until its servers were shut down in 2016. - In 2022, Embracer Group acquired developer Crystal Dynamics and the rights to the *Legacy of Kain* IP from Square Enix for $300 million, expressing interest in reviving dormant franchises. - The new title, *Ascendance*, is a 2D action platformer, a notable departure from the 3D action-adventure gameplay of predecessors like *Soul Reaver* and *Defiance*. - The announcement of *Ascendance* follows the recent release of *Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered* in 2024 and the upcoming *Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered*, set for release on March 3, 2026. - *Ascendance* will feature new voice recordings from returning key actors, including Simon Templeman as Kain and Michael Bell as Raziel. - As a nod to the series' troubled development history, the Deluxe Edition of *Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered* will include a playable demo of the canceled sequel, *The Dark Prophecy*.
