No 'Ready Player One' Post Credits Scene Means 'Ready Player Two' Unlikely

Even though Ready Player One is ultimately a film about community and cooperation, the film itself will likely stand alone. At present, Ernest Cline has not written a book called Ready Player Two, which means the source material for a film sequel doesn’t exist yet. And, if you stick around for a bonus after the credits, there’s not much hope we’ll see the Oasis on the big screen again. If you keep reading, don’t worry. There are no spoilers for Ready Player One coming, just discussion of the existence of a potential post-credits scene.

Screenings for Ready Player One start on Wednesday and because it’s a huge blockbuster film, directed by Steven Spielberg — arguably the inventor of the blockbuster — audiences are probably expecting a post-credits scene. However, Ready Player One is old fashioned. When the movie ends, the movie ends. If there will be a huge franchise born out of this film, it won’t be teased specifically in this film.

Truthfully, the definitive ending of Ready Player One is somewhat refreshing, and for those who have read the book, it would be pretty tricky to come up with a new way to enter this world that didn’t feel contrived. For all of its wonky plotting and dubious stakes, Ready Player One does finish what it starts. The game does actually end.

Fan of the book will notice a ton of structural changes in the film adaptation, but the basic plot and the goal of the characters remain the same. Whoever can find Halliday’s secret easter egg inside of the massive VR world of the Oasis, can inherit control of the entire network. It’s no spoiler to say that this specific plot point is resolved in this film. Can you imagine how weird it would be if it wasn’t?

So, there’s no post-credits scene in Ready Player One. If you want to stay for the credits, you can, but you’ll only be rewarded by a list of various copyright acknowledgments all of which explain why so many different characters and creatures appeared from other franchises.

If there were another film in the Ready Player One universe it seems like it would have to be adjacent to the events of this story. There’s a lot of tantalizing untold backstories to explain how the world of 2045 became the way it is. So, if there is another movie, maybe it will be a prequel. Anybody up for Ready Player Zero? - Ready Player One is out on March 30 in wide release from Warner Bros. But evening screenings start on March 28 in limited release.