History Main / CliffhangerWall

A franchise or series has an entry end on a major climactic moment or shocking event that indicates that things are going '''down''' in the next installment. Yes, coming up next is a huge shake-up in the StatusQuo, or the FinalBattle, or the answers to one of the biggest mysteries of the series.

Except... no. The next video game, book, or film isn't about any of that. Actually, the next ''few'' stories aren't about any of that. Instead of a proper {{sequel}}, we get {{prequel}}s, {{interquel}}s, {{spinoff}}s, and {{remake}}s. The creators just don't want to resolve the storyline they left their audience on years ago, and so leave them staring at a Cliffhanger Wall.

To qualify for this trope, a series should have a minimum of two entries released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off, or at least some combination of a prolonged SequelGap and a plot ''unresolving'' entry. Either way, the creators must have released other works in that franchise afterwards. If they didn't, you've just been LeftHanging instead. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order starts to permanently jump around the timeline.

Subtrope of AnachronicOrder. Can overlap with SequelGap, where a significant amount of time passes between any releases. Compare and contrast with StillbornFranchise, as the franchise does continue, but it nevertheless neglects to further the storyline. Not to be confused with CapcomSequelStagnation, where the intervening time is filled with a multitude of {{Updated Rerelease}}s rather than any new stories.

* Ever since ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'' was quietly canceled in 2013 (in the middle of a chapter, no less), the primary timeline of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series has never advanced past its last chapter. Instead, the creators have only published {{interquel}}s like ''Anime/VividStrike'' and outright alternate timelines, like the ''Reflection'' and ''Detonation'' movies and the ''INNOCENT'' games.

* ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'': The third film in the franchise, ''Film/TheFastAndTheFuriousTokyoDrift'', was followed by three interquels --''Film/FastAndFurious'', ''Film/FastFive'', and ''Film/FastAndFurious6''-- leaving it chronologically the last film for nine years. It wasn't until the release of ''Film/Furious7'' that the timeline moved forward again.
* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse films have generally been released in chronological order. However, ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' ended on a massive cliffhanger in which [[spoiler: Thanos successfully uses the power of the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe]]. Between that film and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', there are two movies (''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'' and ''Film/CaptainMarvel'') set before ''Infinity War''.

* ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'' ends with half of the path to the Second Empire yet to come, and reflections about how humanity might have to face new threats. However, Asimov never continued further, and instead wrote two prequel novels.
* ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle'' has not received a proper sequel since 2011. Instead, Creator/PatrickRothfuss seems content with publishing side stories, like the short stories "How Old Holly Came To Be" and "The Lightning Tree", the novella ''Literature/TheSlowRegardOfSilentThings'', and even a podcast mini-series -- all while assuring the waiting fans that he is working on the next (and final) full installment of the Kvothe trilogy.

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Series/SledgeHammer''. At the end of the first season, the producers were sure the show would be cancelled so they decided to literally go out with a bang. At the end of the last show of the season, Sledge [[KillEmAll accidentally detonated a nuclear bomb]]. Then, much to everyone's surprise, the series was renewed. The first episode of Season 2 started with a repeat of the season one ending where Sledge blew himself up, before showing a "Sledge Hammer: The Early Years!" TitleCard; the remainder of the series would nominally take place five years before the events of season one.
* For 18 years, the last entry chronologically in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise was the final "[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]" film, ''Film/StarTrekNemesis''. After that, the franchise saw the UltimateUniverse "Kelvinverse" films based on a reboot of the Original Series, before returning to the "Prime" timeline with the ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' television series. Even then, ''Discovery'' was a prequel to the original series. At least until the third season, which would TimeSkip to the late 32nd century, moving the timeline forward once more. ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', set several decades after ''Nemesis'', would also debut around the same time.

* ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' had quite a mindfuck of an ending ([[spoiler:basically casting doubt that anything that happened in the game had any basis in reality]]), and no game from the core "Strangereal" continuity of ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' has ever advanced the timeline beyond the third game to clear up just what exactly happened afterwards.
* The ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' zig-zags this quite frequently; the 5th game ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' is followed by ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' which focuses on the previous protagonist's grandfather, before ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' takes place between the two games [[note]]Technically Rouge occurs between the first few sequences of III, which focused on Connor's father Haytham, but prior to the part focused on Connor himself[[/note]], the next two games occur chronologically in order, before ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'' depicts events that occur around a millennium before the events of [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI the first game]], with the subsequent ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' occuring 400 years before that[[note]]With the DLC of Odyssey revealing the protagonist in the ancestor of Origins antagonist Aya[[/note]], amd ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' following, set between Origins and I. This is zig-zagged because this only applies to the historical segments with the modern day segments continuing in chronological order.
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'', the chronologically last ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' game ended with [[MultipleEndings two possible endings]], one of which had Soma lead a normal life, and one which saw him take up Dracula's mantle. The franchise produced only prequels after that, before being completely rebooted with ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow''.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': The [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry2 second game]] ended with the protagonist, Dante, in hell and without a way to escape back to the human world. The following game ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' was a prequel to the series. The ''following'' game after that used to be an example as well, [[{{Interquel}} taking place between 1 and 2]], but was {{retcon}}ned into being a sequel to 2, though it still did not explain how Dante made it back out of hell, which was simply given a HandWave in a ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' prequel book.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' is legendary for having its "Episode 2" expansion (2007) end on one of the most well-known cliffhanger endings in gaming, with developer Creator/{{Valve}} promising that an "Episode 3" would be coming soon. It didn't. It would be followed-up after 12 years with the {{interquel}} ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', which only ''partially'' resolved the cliffhanger with an [[spoiler:InUniverse RetCon of Eli Vance's death via Alyx's deal with G-Man]] that essentially moved past the cliffhanger by mere minutes to end on ''yet another'' cliffhanger; this one once again promising that ''Half-Life 3'', the whole deal about Aperture Science's Borealis ship, the impending Combine reprisal against Earth, and now [[spoiler:rescuing Alyx from the G-Man]] will get addressed. Eventually.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' ended in a big TwistEnding concerning the overarching villains, the Patriots. Instead of explaining right away, Kojima decided to make the next game, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', a prequel, itself followed by another prequel by another production team. [=MGS3=] did not explain the ending of 2 in any way, and in fact seemed to contradict it, until ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' came out and revealed [[spoiler: the TwistEnding was a total lie]].
* ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' ends with Samus [[spoiler:causing the destruction of the B.S.L. station and the planet SR-388 in order to stop both the Federation's secret cloning research on Metroids and the spread of the deadly X Parasites]], leaving her future relationship with the Federation unknown beyond an in-universe acknowledgement that she will most likely [[ArrestedForHeroism have to face trial for her actions]]. ''Fusion'' would remain the last chronological entry in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series for almost two decades (2002-2021), with the time between it and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' being filled with a bevy of {{interquel}}s (five ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Metroid Prime]]'' games and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''), remakes (''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''), and even a [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball pinball game]].
* The ''VideoGame/OgreBattle'' series kept hinting that there was going to be a confrontation with TheManBehindTheMan; who was behind the troubles of all the games. Actually, two of them, the Sage Rashidi and the country of Lodis. And... they don't. Further aggravating it was that the ''first'' game in the series was episode ''5''. Only Five, Six, and Seven have come out - along with a few [[GaidenGame Gaidens]].
* The third game in the ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' series, ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'', ended on a ToBeContinued sequel hook about mysterious happenings at Luke's home, but the next three games ended up being a prequel trilogy. In an odd turn of events, the timeline ''does'' move forward after this, with ''VideoGame/LaytonsMysteryJourneyKatrielleAndTheMillionairesConspiracy'', but said game is a {{distant sequel}} starring Layton's daughter whose story doesn't address that plot point at all.
* ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' series: the last canonical game is ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'' (2004), which ends with the sergeant telling Kane [[AndTheAdventureContinues "Kane, you have new orders"]]. The next games in the series[[note]]Not counting ''[[VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena Quake Live]]''.[[/note]] would be ''VideoGame/EnemyTerritoryQuakeWars'' (2006), a {{prequel}} GaidenGame based on the ''Enemy Territory'' series. ''Quake Wars'' would be followed by ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'' (2017), a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover HeroShooter with Arena FPS features, and A proper sequel to ''IV'' has yet to be developed.
* Between ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', there was ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilZero'' (a {{prequel}} to the first game), as well as a remake of the first game and several spin-offs like ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Gun Survivor]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]''.
* With the exception of the [[VideoGame3DLeap 3D games]] (one of them being the DistantFinale) and ''SSVI'' (DreamMatchGame), all the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' games are set before the events of ''SSII''.
* Canonically-wise, the last ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' game in the timeline is 2005's ''VideoGame/SeriousSamII''. Afterwards there have been spinoffs, [[CapcomSequelStagnation lots of ports and remakes]] and two mainline prequels in 2011's ''VideoGame/SeriousSam3BFE'' and 2020's ''VideoGame/SeriousSam4'', but a sequel of ''II''[[note]]or, considering ''II''[='=]s poor reception and Croteam [[CanonDiscontinuity disowning it]], a proper sequel to 2003's ''VideoGame/SeriousSamTheSecondEncounter''[[/note]] has yet to materialize.
* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', the third game in [[VideoGame/StarOcean the series]], takes place 400 years after the events of the first two games. It gained notoriety for having a rather infamous plot twist that breaks the immersion of the hi-tech SpaceOpera setting the entire franchise has built up, and also has a highly confusing ending that is {{lampshaded}} by the characters themselves. The general negative response of the game's events resulted in the fourth game, ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'', being a prequel to the entire franchise, and the fifth game, ''VideoGame/StarOceanIntegrityAndFaithlessness'', is an {{Interquel}} that takes place 200 years after the second game. This still leaves plenty of room in the timeline to develop future installments before the developers have to address the plot twist of the 3rd game.
* For a long while, 1997's ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' was considered the last chapter of the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' story. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' both occur after the events of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', but before ''III'', even though the very tight time frame of events between games lead many to consider it more as {{Retcon}} of the events of ''III''. It wouldn't be until 2023's ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6'' that the story finally continues past the events of ''III''.
** To a lesser extent, 1991's ''Street Fighter II'' was this, as following this release, Capcom only put out updated versions of the game, which was then followed by 1995's ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'', an interquel between the first two games, before releasing ''III''.
* No games go past ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}} 3'' in the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series; despite its loose ends, all subsequent games are AlternateUniverse or {{prequel}}s.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles 2'' indicated that there was going to be a second war with the East European Imperial Alliance; the villains of the first game. The next two numbered entries [[SimultaneousArcs took place at the same time as the first game]]; ''VideoGame/ValkyriaRevolution'' was an AlternateUniverse GaidenGame.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' did this intentionally: The first two-parter of the series was to reveal who Cartman's father is. Of this two-parter, the first half became the last episode of season 1 which meant that the other half wouldn't be aired before the start of season 2. To top this off, instead of with said second half of the two-parter, ''South Park'' opens with a ''Terrance & Phillip'' special.

* For a long while, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' was considered the last chapter of the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' story. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' both occur after the events of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', but before ''III'', even though the very tight time frame of events between games lead many to consider it more as {{Retcon}} of the events of ''III''. It wouldn't be until 2023, over two decades since the release of ''III'', that the story moves past the events of ''III'' with ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6''.

* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' is considered the last chapter of the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' story. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' both occur after the events of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', but before ''III'', even though the very tight time frame of events between games lead many to consider it more as {{Retcon}} of the events of ''III''.

* The ''VideoGame/OgreBattle'' series kept hinting that there was going to be a confrontation with TheManBehindTheMan; who was behind the troubles of all the games. Actually, two of them, the Sage Rashidi and the country of Lodis. And... they don't.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': The second game ended with the protagonist, Dante, in hell and without a way to escape back to the human world. The following game ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' was a prequel to the series. The ''following'' game after that used to be an example as well, [[{{Interquel}} taking place between 1 and 2]], but was {{retcon}}ned into being a sequel to 2, though it still did not explain how Dante made it back out of hell, which was simply given a HandWave in a ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' prequel book.

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'': ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' ended in a big TwistEnding concerning the overarching villains, the Patriots. Instead of explaining right away, Kojima decided to make the next game, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'', a prequel, itself followed by another prequel by another production team. [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3 MGS3]] did not explain the ending of 2 in any way, and in fact seemed to contradict it, until ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' came out and revealed [[spoiler: the TwistEnding was a total lie]].

* ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' ends with Samus [[spoiler:causing the destruction of the B.S.L. station and the planet SR-388 in order to stop both the Federation's secret cloning research on Metroids, and the spread of the deadly X Parasites]], leaving her future relationship with the Federation unknown beyond an in-universe acknowledgement that she will most likely [[ArrestedForHeroism have to face trial for her actions]]. ''Fusion'' would remain the last chronological entry in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series for almost two decades (2002-2021), with the time between it and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' being filled with a bevy of {{interquel}}s (five ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Metroid Prime]]'' games and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''), remakes (''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''), and even a [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball pinball game]].

* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', the 3rd game in [[VideoGame/StarOcean the series]], takes place 400 years after the events of the first two games. It gained notoriety for having a rather infamous plot twist that breaks the immersion of the hi-tech SpaceOpera setting the entire franchise has built up, and also has a highly confusing ending that is {{lampshaded}} by the characters themselves. The general negative response of the game's events resulted in the 4th game- ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope''- being a prequel to the entire franchise, and the 5th game- ''VideoGame/StarOceanIntegrityAndFaithlessness'' is an {{Interquel}} that takes place 200 years after the 2nd game. This still leaves plenty of room in the timeline to develop future installments before the developers have to address the plot twist of the 3rd game.

A franchise or series has an entry end on a major climatic moment or shocking event that indicates that things are going '''down''' in the next installment. Yes, coming up next is a huge shake-up in the StatusQuo, or the FinalBattle, or the answers to one of the biggest mysteries of the series.

* ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' ends with Samus [[spoiler:causing the destruction of the B.S.L. station and the planet SR-388 in order to stop both the Federation's secret cloning research on Metroids, and the spread of the deadly X Parasites]], leaving her future relationship with the Federation unknown beyond an in-universe acknowledgement that she will most likely [[ArrestedForHeroism have to face trial for her actions]]. ''Fusion'' would remain the last chronological entry in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series for almost two decades (2002-2021), with the time between it and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' being filled with a bevy of {{interquel}}s (four ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Metroid Prime]]'' games and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''), remakes (''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''), and even a [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball pinball game]].

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' is legendary for having its "Episode 2" expansion end on one of the most well-known cliffhanger endings in gaming, with developer Creator/{{Valve}} promising that an "Episode 3" would be coming soon. It didn't. It would be followed-up after 12 years with the {{interquel}} ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', which only ''partially'' resolved the cliffhanger with an [[spoiler:InUniverse RetCon of Eli Vance's death via Alyx's deal with G-Man]] that essentially moved past the cliffhanger by mere minutes to end on ''yet another'' cliffhanger; this one once again promising that ''Half-Life 3'', the whole deal about Aperture Science's Borealis ship, the impending Combine reprisal against Earth, and now [[spoiler:rescuing Alyx from the G-Man]] will get addressed. Eventually.

* ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' ends with Samus [[spoiler:causing the destruction of the B.S.L. station and the planet SR-388 in order to stop both the Federation's secret cloning research on Metroids, and the spread of the deadly X Parasites]], leaving her future relationship with the Federation unknown beyond an in-universe acknowledgement that she will most likely [[ArrestedForHeroism have to face trial for her actions]]. ''Fusion'' would remain the last chronological entry in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series for almost two decades, with the time between it and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' being filled with a bevy of {{interquel}}s (four ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Metroid Prime]]'' games and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''), remakes (''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''), and even a [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball pinball game]].

* ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' ends with Samus [[spoiler:causing the destruction of the B.S.L. station and the planet SR-388 in order to stop both the Federation secret cloning research on Metroids, and the spread of the deadly X Parasites]], leaving her future relationship with the Federation unknown beyond an in-universe acknowledgement that she will most likely [[ArrestedForHeroism have to face trial for her actions]]. ''Fusion'' would remain the last chronological entry in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series for almost two decades, with the time between it and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' being filled with a bevy of {{interquel}}s (four ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Metroid Prime]]'' games and ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''), remakes (''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''), and even a [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball pinball game]].

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

To qualify for this trope, a series should have a minimum of two entries released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off, or have at least a ten-year gap between the {{Cliffhanger}} and the plot ''unresolving'' entry. Either way, the creators must have released other works in that franchise afterwards. If they didn't, you've just been LeftHanging instead. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order starts to permanently jump around the timeline.

To qualify for this trope, a series should have a minimum of two entries released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off, or have at least a ten-year gap between the cliffhanger and the plot ''unresolving'' entry. Either way, the creators must have released other works in that franchise afterwards. If they didn't, you've just been LeftHanging instead. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order starts to permanently jump around the timeline.

To qualify for this trope, a minimum of two entries must be released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off, or have at least a ten-year gap between the cliffhanger and the plot ''unresolving'' entry. Either way, creators '''must''' have released other works in that franchise afterwards. If they didn't, you've just been LeftHanging instead. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order starts to permanently jump around the timeline.

To qualify for this trope, a minimum of two entries must be released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off, or have at least a ten-year gap between the cliffhanger and the plot ''unresolving'' entry. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order starts to permanently jump around the timeline.

Subtrope of AnachronicOrder. Can overlap with SequelGap, where a significant amount of time passes between any releases. Compare and contrast with StillbornFranchise, as the franchise does continue, but it nevertheless neglects to further the storyline. Not to be confused with CapcomSequelStagnation, where the intervening time is filled with a multitude of {{Updated Rerelease}}s rather than any new stories, or LeftHanging, where there are ''no'' releases at all after that installment.

* On ''Series/TheAmandaShow'' the ShowWithinAShow ''Moody's Point'' ended with Moody finding out she is not the real Moody and is actually a girl named Yolanda that is the daughter of a pair of superheroes. The very last shot of the show is Moody's family and friends about to find out who the real "Moody" actually is, but the final shot is a "To Be Continued" shot of the group waiting for her to appear.

* The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise does this quite frequently, most notably after ''III'' came out; between ''III'' and ''IV'', there were no less than 5 interquels (''Liberty City Stories'', ''Vice City'', ''Vice City Stories'', ''GTA: Advance'', and ''San Andreas'').

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' is legendary for having its "Episode 2" expansion end on one of the most well-known cliffhanger endings in gaming, with developer Creator/{{Valve}} promising that an "Episode 3" would be coming soon. It didn't. It would be followed-up after 12 years with the {{interquel}} ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', which only ''partially'' resolved the cliffhanger with a [[spoiler:InUniverse RetCon of Eli Vance's death via Alyx's deal with G-Man]] that essentially moved past the cliffhanger by mere minutes to end on ''yet another'' cliffhanger; this one once again promising that ''Half-Life 3'', the whole deal about Aperture Science's Borealis ship, the impending Combine reprisal against Earth, and now [[spoiler:rescuing Alyx from the G-Man]] will get addressed. Eventually.

To qualify for this trope, a minimum of two entries must be released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off, or have at least a ten-year gap between the cliffhanger and the plot ''un''resolving entry. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order starts to permanently jump around the timeline.

Subtrope of AnachronicOrder. Can overlap with SequelGap, where a significant amount of time passes between ''any'' releases. Compare and contrast with StillbornFranchise, as the franchise does continue, but it nevertheless neglects to further the storyline. Not to be confused with CapcomSequelStagnation, where the intervening time is filled with a multitude of {{Updated Rerelease}}s rather than any new stories, or LeftHanging, where there are ''no'' releases at all after that installment.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' is legendary for having its second Episode expansion end on such a cliffhanger that it only got ''partially'' resolved after 12 years with ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', with the [[spoiler:InUniverse RetCon of Eli Vance's death via Alyx's deal with G-Man]], essentially moving past the cliffhanger by a few minutes to end on ''yet another'' cliffhanger, which amounts to just Valve promising that "Half-life 3" and the whole deal about Aperture Science's Borealis ship, the impending Combine reprisal against Earth, and now [[spoiler:rescuing Alyx from the G-Man]] will get addressed. Eventually.

To qualify for this trope, a minimum of two entries must be released after the cliffhanger installment that don't pick up where that story left off. Can overlap with NonLinearSequel if a series that started off going in chronological order starts to permanently jump around the timeline.