Postal III
Running With Scissors (RWS) disowned Postal 3 because it was an absolute trainwreck—both technically and creatively. Instead of continuing from Postal 2, the game was developed by Akella, a Russian studio known for mid-tier licensed games, and published by TopWare Interactive. The result? A buggy, unfinished, and unfun mess that didn’t align with RWS’s vision for the Postal franchise.
Here’s why Postal 3 was abandoned:
1. RWS Didn’t Fully Develop It
Unlike Postal 1, 2, and 4, RWS outsourced the development of Postal 3 to Akella, which led to a lack of creative control. The game didn’t have the same humor, open-ended chaos, or freedom that Postal 2 was known for.
2. It Was Completely Broken
The game was riddled with game-breaking bugs at launch. Even if you managed to get through the first few missions, you’d encounter crashes, unplayable sections, and horrible AI that made finishing the game nearly impossible.
3. Awful Gameplay & Level Design
Instead of the sandbox-style carnage of Postal 2, Postal 3 forced players into linear, scripted levels with badly implemented morality choices. The freedom to go wild was replaced with stiff, repetitive missions that didn’t fit the franchise's anarchic spirit.
4. Terrible AI & Performance Issues
The AI was laughably bad, with enemies standing still, running into walls, or not reacting at all. Performance was also abysmal, even on decent hardware.
5. Even RWS Hates It
RWS officially disowned the game and considers it non-canon. They even removed it from their store and actively encourage fans NOT to buy it. It’s the Postal equivalent of a disavowed family member.
Why RWS Returned to the Postal 2 Timeline for Postal 4
Rather than trying to salvage Postal 3, RWS went back to what worked: the open-world, sandbox chaos of Postal 2.
- Postal 4: No Regerts continues the story from Postal 2 as if Postal 3 never happened.
- They returned to their trademark offensive humor, satire, and over-the-top mayhem.
- RWS kept full creative control, ensuring they didn’t repeat the mistakes of outsourcing development.
In short, Postal 3 was a disaster that RWS wants nothing to do with, so they pretend it never happened—which, honestly, is the best thing for the series.
