The gaming world is filled with triumphs, failures and video games that are cancelled; sometimes during development and other times mere weeks after it is announced. There is no shortage of cancelled video games that fans wish they could have gotten their hands on and all of them have their reasons for not making it to the finish line.
No matter why their production stopped, many famous cancelled video games like Agent and Silent Hills remain etched in our memories, all because they had great potential that will never be realised.
The allure of these cancelled video games lies in their tantalising trailers and teasers. Sometimes developers even showcased lengthy gameplay demos, showing the games in action. These snippets were enough to spark the imagination of gamers all over, leaving them to wonder how these games might have shaped the landscape of gaming had they been released.
In this article, we will list the most popular cancelled video games out there — titles that fans wish to get their hands on to this day. These span various genres and platforms, from cancelled Star Wars video games to Rockstar Games titles that never saw the day of light. These are the projects that left people wondering what could have been.
The most popular cancelled video games that deserved to be released
1. Agent
Genre: Stealth, Action
Publisher: Rockstar Games
At the top of our cancelled video games list is Agent, a game announced by Rockstar Games in 2007 exclusively for PlayStation 3. This game was set in the late 1970s, against the backdrop of the Cold War. It was expected to deliver a stealth action experience, unlike any other title Rockstar Games had ever developed before.
Despite generating massive hype, the development of Agent went nowhere and Rockstar Games shifted to GTA V, the next entry in their popular, long-running franchise.
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2. Scalebound
Genre: Action, Role-Playing Game (RPG), Hack-and-Slash
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Announced during Microsoft Studios’ showcase at E3 2014, this game started development at PlatinumGames in 2013. That cinematic trailer was something else, showcasing a large world and its two protagonists in action. It was a unique game featuring characters named Drew and Thuban. Drew is a human, and Thuban is a dragon that he bonds with. While it is mostly AI-controlled, players can give commands to the dragon; they can even control the dragon in the first person, leaving his own body vulnerable to enemy attacks.
This idea instantly gained the attention of gamers all over. PlatinumGames’s reputation for delivering hits like Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance coupled with the involvement of director Hideki Kamiya (of Bayonetta and Okami fame) made it a very promising title. But it was all for nothing, as the game kept on getting delayed and eventually Microsoft decided to pull the plug on it.
3. Bioshock Vita
Genre: Strategy, Action
Publisher: 2K
When Sony announced the PlayStation Vita back in 2011, alongside the console, Ken Levine, the director of Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite announced that the series would make its way to this new innovative handheld gaming device.
When asked about the nature of this game, Levine revealed it would not be a shooter but a Final Fantasy Tactics-like title. After that, the game was never mentioned; some suggested it was announced even before its development had started.
4. Silent Hills
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Konami
After developing Metal Gear Solid games for over two decades, Hideo Kojima made an interesting announcement in 2014 with P.T. (Playable Teaser). This horror experience ended with a teaser announcing Silent Hills, a game directed by Kojima and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.
This announcement hyped fans. The teaser was creepy, giving everyone an experience, unlike any other horror game. With Norman Reedus set to star as the protagonist, Silent Hills became one of the most anticipated PlayStation 4 games. This excitement was short-lived, though, as not long after the game was cancelled due to Konami and Kojima parting ways. All this led to the inception of the Death Stranding franchise, which also starred Reedus.
5. Star Wars 1313
Genre: Action-Adventure
Publisher: LucasArts
Star Wars 1313 was a third-person action game that was in development at LucasArts. It was announced in 2012 and fans were given a glimpse at its gameplay during E3 the same year.
Set in the criminal underworld of Coruscant, this game offered a dark, gritty take on the Star Wars universe. Despite the considerable hype around it, this game joined the list of cancelled projects after Disney acquired Lucasfilm.
6. Prey 2
Genre: FPS
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Prey 2 was supposed to follow up on the first game, shifting the focus to a new protagonist, a bounty hunter in an alien world. It was announced in 2006, just a few months after the release of the first Prey. Although the actual development of this title only started in 2009, after ZeniMax Media acquired the rights to Prey from 3D Realms.
It was an open-world title inspired by Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, and its gameplay was met with a positive reaction from fans and critics alike. Despite all this praise, Bethesda Softworks decided to cancel it. Eventually, Arkane Austin developed and released a spiritual successor to the series titled Prey in 2017.
To this day, fans are holding hope that somehow the original Prey 2 will be revived and released.
7. Bully 2
Genre: Sandbox, Action-Adventure
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Bully 2 was a long-awaited sequel to Rockstar Games’ 2006 cult hit. The original game, set in a fictional boarding school, was known for its unique blend of open-world sandbox-style gameplay, humour and social commentary.
Rumours of Bully 2 began circulating shortly after the release of the first title, with Rockstar Games reportedly working on a sequel that would expand on the original’s ideas and story. However, a passionate fanbase could not prevent Bully 2 from being cancelled. The game was never announced officially, but hints of its existence were given away by some ex-employees and the massive leaks that happened a couple of years ago.
8. StarCraft: Ghost
Genre: Third-Person Shooter (TPS), Stealth-Action
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
In 2002, Blizzard Entertainment announced StarCraft: Ghost, a shooter set in their popular real-time strategy universe. It was in development at Nihilistic Software for GameCube, Xbox and PlayStation 2.
After several delays and a change in developer, Blizzard announced in 2006 that the game was put on indefinite hold. They wanted to research the possibilities of bringing this game to the seventh-generation consoles that were rolling out at the time. Nothing happened beyond that, and the game never materialised. StarCraft fans all over the world still hope Blizzard will someday revive the project and release the game they have wanted to play for so long.
9. Half-Life 2: Episode 3
Genre: FPS
Publisher: Valve Corporation
Among the most famous cancelled games, Half-Life 2: Episode 3 stands out as a particularly painful loss. Announced as part of a trilogy of episodic content for Half-Life 2, this third episode was meant to conclude the story that began in 2004.
Years of anticipation and outcry from fans were not able to convince Valve to finish this game and release it. What’s worse is that Valve has chosen to remain silent on this project. The lack of closure for one of the most celebrated gaming franchises remains a significant disappointment for fans.
10. Eight Days
Genre: Action-Adventure
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Eight Days is an action game that was in development at London Studios for the PlayStation 3. As the name suggests, its story was set over eight days and was to be set in eight different states, making it one of the largest video game maps of its time.
The choice of two different characters with separate storylines, a massive world to explore and lots of environmental destruction made this game stand out. While there was a lot of interest around it, Sony decided they had better games in their lineup besides Eight Days, and cancelled it. If it releases today, it will still be a unique first-party open-world experience that no one would want to miss out on.
We can only hope that someone will decide to restart the development of any of the above-mentioned games and give them a proper release. They would be successful, too, as some of these interesting ideas have not been seen in modern games yet.
Till then, you can check out these highly anticipated games that are worth getting excited over.
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(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Microsoft Studios and 2K)
