It has to do with the structure of the game and the depth of the game. That's why RPGs take forever to come out.
FPS shooters and RTS have an easier forumla, design, programming structure to follow. RPGs on the other hand, typically require a new system everytime an new version is made. (Plus, it helps when the guy in charge is a little more realistic with his resources and understanding of the market)
For anyone that's curious:
Post-HP people: Some guys went on to work on Final Fantasy 8 (?), then moved on to Blizzard. They're working on World of Warcraft right now! A bunch of people are working at local casion website designer (very successful). One of the animators moved to LA and wrapped up a Casper, The Ghost game. A couple programmers jumping into start-up companies. I ended up working on Aliens vs. Predator 2 (but not before I worked on the now-cancelled Middle-Earth Online). Moving on to the sequel to No One Lives Forever.
**shameless plug: Aliens vs. Predator 2 is coming out next week. I did a lot of level work in that bugger. Plus, while it's not in this release, an upcoming add-on or demo will feature a multiplayer level I did.
This level is based on the Asylum in W&W. I made the Asylum as a test multiplayer level for W&W, but since multiplayer was never released, I never had a chance to see how the layout worked. So, if you're interesting in AvP2, you might get a chance to see it in action!