In hindsight, Mirror's Edge was probably my favourite game of 2008 (provided I go back and skip the indoor bits). Turns out that quality was no accident, with the game having been in production for seven years.
In an interview with Gaming Union, former DICE (the developers behind the game) CEO Fredrik Liliegren said "Knowing that that product was in development for about seven years.. [laughs] and given that it wasn't Mirror's Edge when we started, but it was one team working on 'the new IP' for seven years, I think they did a strong final."
"They did something different that people hadn't done before. I think it needed a second generation so they can tweak on it, I played it a little bit."
He won't be the first person to recommend a tweaked, refined sequel, and he won't be the last, either.
Mirror's Edge Took 7 Years To Make [Gaming Union]