Just Cause is an action-adventure video game series created by Avalanche Studios. Originally published by Eidos Interactive and after 2009 by Square Enix's External Studios. The series consists of Just Cause, Just Cause 2, Just Cause 3, and Just Cause 4. The games are open world and take place in islands and archipelagos. Each game in the series tasks the player to overthrow the governing body of the game's setting. By June 2018, the series had shipped over 15 million copies worldwide.^[1]

The series directly draws its name from the real-life United States invasion of Panama, code-named "Operation Just Cause".

Each installment in the series takes place on a different fictional island nation, where the player plays the character Rico Rodriguez, a secret agent who originally hails from the fictional nation of Medici (featured in the third game). On foot, Rico can walk, swim, jump, and operate weapons. Players can also take control of vehicles found in the world and perform stunts while driving them. From the third game onwards, players can also utilize Rico's parachute, grappling hook and wingsuit to travel around the map.

During the game, the player is given a main storyline as well as several side missions. Side missions may include liberating a village or taking over a drug cartel's villa. In Just Cause, these side missions are repetitive but necessary to gain points with certain factions. In Just Cause 2, the side missions became unique and more complex.

When not playing story or side missions, the player can free-roam in the open world. However, committing certain aggressive acts will attract a "heat" level (similar to Grand Theft Auto's wanted level), which will then increase the strength and number of enemy NPCs spawned seeking to kill the player.

The Just Cause series has received a mixed reception from critics, but audiences generally have given the series a positive reception. Critics and audiences alike praise the series for its innovative gameplay, open-world design, set-pieces and non-linear approach to mission structure, however it is generally criticised for its generic storyline and cliché characters.

In 2010, it was reported that a film adaptation of Just Cause, titled Just Cause: Scorpion Rising, was in production, written by comic book writer Bryan Edward Hill.^[4] Nothing came of these plans, and Hill's Just Cause: Scorpion Rising was never produced.

In 2015, Adrian Askarieh, producer of the Hitman films, stated that he hoped to oversee a shared universe of Square Enix films with Just Cause, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief, but admitted that he does not have the rights to Tomb Raider.^[5] He also stated, at that time, that the latest outlook for the Just Cause film was that it would be based on the third release of the video game series. In May 2017, the Game Central reporters at Metro UK suggested that the shared universe was unlikely, pointing out that no progress had been made on any Just Cause, Deus Ex nor Thief films.^[6]

In March 2017, it was announced that Jason Momoa would play Rico Rodriguez and Brad Peyton would direct the film.^[7] As of April 2018^[update], Peyton admitted that no script existed yet, and that he and Momoa already had full schedules well into 2019.^[8] On May 21, 2019, it was announced that Derek Kolstad would write the film.^[9] On July 15, 2020, it was announced that Michael Dowse would direct the film, which is produced by Constantin Film and Askarieh's Prime Universe and distributed by Universal Pictures.^[10]

• Operation "Just Cause"
• List of Square Enix video game franchises