The Hotline Miami games are very peculiar for a reason that not a lot of people seem to realize. They are games about games. They shine almost entirely thanks to the medium they were created in, and they try to say something about it.
While the first Hotline Miami reflected upon the usage of violence and storytelling in videogames, the second game did so in regards to sequels and finales. When Hotline Miami 2 was released, a reviewer described the game as "a game about the difficulty of making a sequel to Hotline Miami" which the main artist of the game, Dennis Wedin, agreed with. But Hotline Miami 2 is also a game about ending things, and the description used by online stores where you can buy the game explains this:
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is the brutal conclusion to the Hotline Miami saga, set against a backdrop of escalating violence and retribution over spilled blood in the original game. Follow the paths of several distinct factions – each with their own questionable methods and uncertain motivations – as unforeseen consequences intersect and reality once again slips back into a brilliant haze of neon and bloodshed. Blistering combat against punishing opposition will require intense focus as new variables, weapons, and methods of execution are introduced throughout the struggle. Let the striking colors of an unmistakable visual style wash over as you meticulously cut down those that would stand between you and the ultimate meaning behind the massacre. This is the finale, this is the unquestionable end.
The game advertises itself as a finale, and it's not just because of marketing reasons, it's because the game is about being the ending of a series.
Dennaton has stated, even before Hotline Miami 2's release, that they were done with the series, here are some examples of them doing that:
E3 2014: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Interview "But yeah, [The Level Editor] is a nice finish for us 'cause Hotline Miami 2 is the last Hotline Miami that we are gonna make, so it's like, 'okay, we're done, you can take it and do whatever you want with it'"
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Interview - TGS at E3 2013 "Because this is the final game and this is the grand finale so we wanna build more on sadness and 'the end' and what that means"
GC 13: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - Dennis Wedin Interview "Like, all the characters and the story we've had it in our minds since the first game so it always felt like 'we wanna tell the whole story, the complete story' that's why we're saying that this is the final one because now you will see the whole picture, almost, it's going to be vague, so we're not gonna answer all questions, but yeah, this is it"
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - EXCLUSIVE Interview - Eurogamer "The pressure on us, from us, is to make the end of Hotline Miami as good, as challenging as we can" "I guess we can say there will be snow falling when we are finishing"
E3 13: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - Interview "What we want to change is give the soundtrack a more 'sad' feeling to it because this is the end, this is the final game"
Dennis Wedin: The Sequel A MAZE. / Berlin 2015 -"Hotline Miami 3, when is it coming?" -"It's not, if you play the game you can see that we made Hotline Miami 3 but it sucked so we taped it over with Hotline Miami 2"
There will never be a Hotline Miami 3 or a continuation of the series, there is nothing for a continuation to be made, everything that Dennaton wanted to explore within Hotline Miami's formula has been explored, and the level editor was added so that people could explore what can be done with the formula themselves.
I've made this sticky to put a stop to any threads claiming that Dennaton is making an HLM3 and threads asking if there will be a continuation. Please, do not leave comments stating that you are sad because there won't be another sequel. If you're that big of a fan of this series to be sad that there won't be a new Hotline Miami game made by its developers, then you should be enough of a fan to understand what Hotline Miami 2 means to them. Hotline Miami 2 represents the end of Hotline Miami, but not the end of Dennaton Games, they are working on a new title which will be announced some time in the future, so look forward to it if you love their work.
