There is nothing worst than anticipating something, only for it to not happen.
Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common thing in the gaming industry and a plight that developers, publishers, and (of course) fans have to endure. Despite what it seems like, the gaming industry isn't all fun and games; there are deadlines, finances to consider, and sometimes even legal matters that can have a severe impact on pre-promised games. Here are 15 games that were scrapped before we could play them.
Metroid Dread
Developer: Nintendo / Publisher: N/A
No list of upsetting cancelled games would be complete without Metroid Dread, and rightly so. The game was first announced back in 2005 as a prequel to Metroid Fusion in the form of a 2-D side scroller for the Nintendo DS. In 2006 a release date was said to be confirmed only for the game to fail to make an appearance at the annual E3 2006 and the following E3 2007.
It's 2015 and next to nothing has come out about the title since, a sad state of affairs for many. Though there has been no official cancellation, the only thing left to assume is that Dread has entered the dreadful developmental hell - which is worst, because while a cancellation is definite, development limbo leaves us all on the edge of our seats.
Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun
Developer: Climax Studio / Publisher: Square Enix Europe
The Legacy of Kain franchise is no stranger to cancelled games. In fact,` the popular title has racked up a list of ten cancelled titles. Admittedly, some of those titles were better off not seeing the light of day but, Dead Sun could have been the exception. Released concept art along with beautiful trailers proved the game would at least be visually appealing but that's all we could really gauge, until now. Recently gameplay has been leaked of the cancelled game and can be found on IGN's YouTube page.
Honestly, while the game would have been a let down to the hardcore Legacy of Kain fans with the lack of favorites Kain and Raziel, outside of the franchise it could have been a success.
Sadness
Developer: Nibris / Publisher: N/A
Aptly named, many of us were quite sad when this intended survival horror game was suddenly scrapped. It is speculated that the game was a little too ambitious for the team, and thus several missed deadlines led to four years of development hell, but no actual progression. While no gameplay footage was ever released, we do at least have plenty of concept art to remember this ill-fated game by.
Sad indeed.
LMNO
Developer: Arkane Studios / Publisher: Electronic Arts
Imagine a Spielberg movie turned into a game, and that's what we could have gotten with LMNO. Back in 2005, Steven Spielberg and EA partnered up to treat gamers with three games headed by the movie genius. But in the end, the deal fell through.
While we have only seen concept clips that tell us the game would have been worth it, EA clearly felt otherwise and simply gave up on this science-fiction parkour game. Maybe Spielberg will keep LMNO in the tank and we'll get a movie out of it.
Prey 2
Developer: Human Head/Arkane Studios / Publisher:Bethesda Softworks
If no other game held promise, Prey 2 certainly did. In fact, word is that it was a "full game" before Bethesda pulled the cord on this highly-anticipated follow-up. Poor direction and quality was the nail in the coffin, according to the publisher. The game is cancelled indefinitely, but there is a possibility that Bethesda might find something to do with the Prey title and universe in the future.
Starcraft: Ghost
Developers: Blizzard Entertainment, Nihilistic SSoftware & Swingin' Ape Studios
Without a doubt, the announcement that StarCraft was cancelled broke the hearts of gamers everywhere. The game had not only looked promising, but also had an ample amount of released gameplay footage, trailers, and even industry praise. It didn't seem to mean much to Blizzard though. And if they're not happy, then no one is.
Dirty Harry
Developer: Foundation 9 / Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Clint Eastwood fans were all on board with the 2007 announcement of the Dirty Harry game, but fate wasn't. The same year of the announcement, Foundation 9 closed, leaving the game's future rather bleak in spite of Warner Bros.' optimism. Eventually, Dirty Harry was abandoned.
The game would have been a real treat for those wanting a Dirty Harry movie sequel, as the game's plot was set to start right where the movie ended.
Star Wars 1313
Developer: Lucas Arts / Publisher: Lucas Arts
Star Wars 1313 is simply a case of 'wrong place, wrong time'. It wasn't the first time Disney caused the premature death of a much-anticipated game. Armada of the Damned ring a bell? The closing down of Lucas Arts was a like a massive Vader style Death Choke to all the fans when the subsequent lay offs led to the cancellations of not one but two Star Wars projects.
Mega Man Legends 3
Developer: Capcom / Publisher: Capcom
It is a hard pill to swallow when something you've been waiting for all your life shows up, and then just ups and disappears with no reason. Well, Mega Man Legends 3 was (and is) that pill.
With little known reason, the game was scrapped, and many fans of the franchise were left in the cold. The cancellation of Mega Man Universe didn't help either. It wasn't until two years after the initial cancellation and cold shoulder that Capcom issued a better explanation for the game's premature demise. But that didn't make it any easier.
However, while the game may have been cancelled, Keiji Inafune says he still wants to make the game, so we're crossing our fingers!
The Outsider
Developer: Frontier Developments / Publisher: David Braben
Had this game come out, gamers would have found themselves playing a unique techno-thriller game, as a CIA agent in a city loosely based on D.C. However, six years of development and an initial drop from original Codemasters led to an S.O.S. When this was ignored, it caused the game to be cancelled in 2011.
Frontier had planned to give gamers genuine freedom to decide their fate, steering away from the traditional linear gameplay. But as cool as it sounded, freedom of choice just wasn't meant to be.
Eight Days
Developer: SCE London Studio / Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
The first time Eight Days made an appearance was during an unofficial tech demo at Sony's E3 2005 conference. But it wasn't officially announced until the 2006 E3 showing. Not much was known about the game aside from it being your typical mob chase game, with some wicked explosions.
It wasn't the ambiguity or mixed reviews that played a hand in the game ultimately being nixed. Pre-production alone cost the company a pretty penny, and with the game still needing to be finished and other exclusive first party titles coming out, Eight Days bit the bullet.
This Is Vegas
Developer: Surreal Software / Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Undoubtedly the counterpart of GTA, This Is Vegas (obviously set on the Las Vegas strip) was a big gamble. And a bet that both Midway and Warner Bros. lost out big on. Both companies ended up spending millions ($40-$50 million to be exact) only to fold to the gaming gods and put this title on the sacrificial altar. .
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
Developer: Propaganda Games / Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
It isn't every day that we get a film-adapted game that actually looks like it is worth playing. So of course, Armada of the Damned was too good to be true. Still, the amazing visuals seen in the trailers sucked us in, along with the promise of an open world that would change along with you and your decision-making.
Sadly, Disney was doing some changes of their own to their development studios, spelling disaster for this promising game. With no one left around that could bring the Armada of the Damned to life, it ended up sinking.
Tiberium FPS
Developer: EA Los Angeles / Publisher: Electronic Arts
Tiberium was supposed to be the much-anticipated first person shooter addition to the Command & Conquer title. But EA was hesitant on their ability to do the game justice, so they scrapped it. The publisher cited early challenging fundamental designs as the main issue, and with no solution, they had no other choice.
Subsequently, the cancellation led to the layoffs of the game's developmental team members.
World of Darkness
Developer: CCP Games / Publisher: White Wolf Publishing
The world of zombies is much too powerful for the vampire it seems, or at least that's what we want to believe instead of facing reality. The fantasy gothic-punk MMO world was first seen in 1991's Vampire: The Masquerade and set to continue in the 2011 development of World of Darkness.
Unfortunately, after the EVE Online team recruited CCP team members to more urgent matters there, wasn't much blood left to continue the body of work. The unprecedented bloodsucking left the team dry, and in 2014, World of Darkness truly went dark.
Published: Mar 13, 2015 03:26 pm