I really think Risen deserved a closure. Let's talk about that
While I know that the Risen series are not very popular, even among fans of Gothic, is one that is very dear to me. Risen 1 was what introduced me to Piranha Bytes, and I loved every game of that studio.
Risen 2 is my favorite game of the series, not because it's perfect(far from it), but because it was a deliberate decision for the company to try new things. They could've make Gothic 4(or another medieval fantasy game) at the time, but they wanted to make something new, even if it was not what fan wanted. And I respect that, fans are the soul of the company, but it was the artist vision that brought us together, not the other way around.
That being said, I was very sad when Risen 3 released and the plot was just another stepping stone, not resolving the Titan threat, not addressing the war of Ursegor and Ismael, just a side plot between an previously undisclosed Steelbeard Son, and random Titan Lord that rarely appears through the game. The game could be so much more, they could've explored the duality between elemental titans and concept titans(like death). The difference between Titan Lords and lesser titans etc. Alas, the Risen series, that started as a Piranha Bytes renewal and should've gone with a bang, was lost in a whimper.
So, if we never got a Risen 4, I'll leave here my theorical sequel that would close the quadrillogy:
[SPOILERS FOR A FAN FICTION GAME THAT WILL NEVER BE RELEASE, AHEAD]
>!The game would take place after Risen 3, the nameless hero mission in Risen 3 is complete, he was helping Eldric find a way to end the Titan threat once-for-all, he was searching the 4 corners of the world, trying to keep out of Ursegor's and Ismael's view for a way to redo the Dark Wave, not to banish the titans, but to make a new god, that would protect humanity(think of the moral questions that could birth the new gods building thought the game).!<
>!To achieve this without the gods help, he would need to amass a lot of divine energy, the key to achieving this? The cursed Monocle, but a cheap copy wouldn't do, they needed the original. It not only allowed them to see what didn't want to be seen, it was able to capture a Titans true essence.!<
>!The prologue would start in Faranga with the hero's party: Captain Steelbeard(of the guardians) and Captain Steelbeard(Patty); already with the monocle fighting Ursegor's lizard in order to capture the fire Titan. A huge battle would occur, with the hero's succefully being able to capture the fire titan's power using the monocle, but it was too much for a human body to handle and our hero enter in a coma.!<
>!20-30 years would have passed!<
>!The hero would be waked up by an unknown young man, that was said to be ordered by his master(Elder Eldric) to retrieve the hero. But passing so many years in a coma has left him without his powers or skills. Threw in an unknow world he would have to fight to regain his lost alliances, capture the other titans(with his body now used to the divine energy) and fight the looming threat of Ursegor's army, now that he has finally won against Ismael. !<
The game setting would be an old-west, fantasy, I feel like we don't have many of those, and that would respect the boldness of Risen 2 from jumping into a new unknow setting. And yeah, probably 20-30 years wasn't enough to translate between pirates and cowboys, but the world of Risen changes fast, humans are always in battle.
ps.: Sorry for any typos, English is not my first language, but I refuse to soil my story with AI xD