For a while, it seemed as though Lionsgate and the "John Wick" saga had a lot to teach Hollywood about building a cinematic universe. But after the lifeless, joyless return to the Wick-verse that was TV series "The Continental" and the less-than-ideal box office returns for the Ana de Armas-led "Ballerina,"
it became depressingly clear that without Keanu Reeves' hitman at the forefront, this burgeoning shared universe was never really going to succeed."John Wick: Chapter 5" has been officially green-lit
and could bring the man himself back from the dead. But with interest in the series apparently waning in the wake of the "Ballerina" box office, is Keanu's return going to be enough to save this franchise? It seems as though it would be the big fix Lionsgate is hoping for, but perhaps after witnessing Baba Yaga battle his way through hordes of enemies and perish at the end of "John Wick: Chapter 4," audiences actually have had their fill of the saga's gun-fu action. Time will tell.
But for anyone who simply can't get enough and is looking for another way to delve into the world of Wick beyond the awful TV spin-off and "Ballerina," there's a video game that — while you can't actually play it now — provided a fascinating prequel story for the ruthless hitman.
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The John Wick Prequel Game Brought Back Two Fan-Favorite Actors
John Wick himself is the biggest problem with a John Wick cinematic universe, mainly because he's so undeniably badass and has become so culturally engrained that anyone else sort of pales in comparison. But "John Wick Hex" supplied plenty of Wick-centered action in the form of a tactical role-playing game that served as a prequel to 2014's "John Wick."
Developed by Bithell Games, "John Wick Hex" saw players take on the role of the titular assassin himself, moving Wick through levels on a hex-based grid, which is essentially a level map that's divided into hexagonal tiling. This means the in-game character can move in one of six directions with each turn, as players essentially load moves and actions into a timeline to create a game mechanic that developer Mike Bithell termed "John Wick chess." This kind of gameplay was an odd choice for a game based on a franchise which is about as fluid, bombastic, and action-packed as you can imagine. But as Bithell told Mashable, Lionsgate was "very into the idea of doing something that was less obvious and was interesting."
What Bithell certainly didn't want to do, however, was to diverge too much from the world created by franchise directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, who had both overseen the original "John Wick" while Stahelski had directed "John Wick: Chapter 2" solo. In order to ensure the game tied into the world showcased in the films, Bithell watched the first two movies "at least every few weeks" and flew to Los Angeles just to read the script for the then-unproduced third movie, "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum." The prequel story he eventually constructed revolved around criminal mastermind Hex who rebels against the High Table (the group of crime bosses that oversee the vast underground network of criminals to which Wick belongs) and kidnaps Continental owner Winston and concierge Charon. The High Table then puts out a contract for their safe return and John Wick sets out to fulfill it. The assassin embarks on one of his violence-filled rampages as he takes down Hex's network of mobsters across New York and Switzerland in order to save Winston and Charon. While Keanu Reeves didn't play John Wick in the game, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick reprised their roles as Winston and Charon, respectively, making the game an even more convincingly immersive excursion into the world of Wick.
John Wick Hex Was Pulled After Less Than Six Years
"John Wick Hex" debuted for macOS and Windows on October 8, 2019 before a PlayStation 4 port arrived on May 5, 2020. Nintendo Switch and Xbox One ports were released on December 4th of that same year. Unfortunately, if you'd never heard of this prequel story and fancy delving into the cell-shaded wonder of "John Wick Hex," you won't be able to play the game today. On July 14, 2025, an update was posted to the Steam website that confirmed that as of July 17, 2025, the game was going to be removed from sale on all platforms. While existing owners of "John Wick Hex" are still able to play the game, nobody will be able to buy it on any platform moving forward. Why is the game being delisted less than six years after it first arrived? There was no official explanation given, but it may have something to do with the developer's license expiring.
Lionsgate's recent troubles (the studio had its worst year at the box office in 2024) may also have something to do with it. Legendary Entertainment was reportedly eyeing a takeover of the beleaguered studio, though nothing has been made official as of yet. It's unlikely that this is tied to "John Wick Hex" being pulled, but if Legendary does acquire Lionsgate, it will likely have big plans for Wick, and with another triple-A game based on the franchise said to be in the works, it wouldn't be entirely unthinkable for the company to want to wipe the slate as clean as it possibly can be in the wake of "The Continental" and "Ballerina" failing to resonate with fans.
Whatever the case, the loss of "John Wick Hex" is a bit of a downer not only because it was quite well-received and gave us arguably one of the better John Wick spin-off stories yet created, but because it featured Lance Reddick, who was every genre project's secret weapon, and that was no different with the John Wick movies. Reddick, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 69, became a fan-favorite as Charon and removing a piece of Wick media that features a performance from the man himself just feels wrong. Hopefully the game will return in the future, but that's hardly the biggest question mark hanging over the John Wick franchise at this point.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
