History Main / MidDevelopmentGenreShift

* ''Film/TheCrow'' was almost a musical starring Music/MichaelJackson. Seriously.

* ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' was originally concieved as an FMV shooter similar to ''VideoGame/MadDogMcCree'' but set in the present day. Konami had rejected this idea, so digitized sprites inspired by ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' was used.

** ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' was originally to be an on-rails light-gun shooter like ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' or ''VideoGame/VirtuaCop''. Before that it would have been a pre-rendered 2D platformer, like ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' but with guns. The unrelated Platform/GameBoy James Bond game is much closer to this design.

* ''Series/Minder'' was originally conceived as a gritty crime drama in the vein of the previous series starring Dennis Waterman ''Series/TheSweeney''. Reading creator Leon Griffiths' novel, published a few months before the series began and much DarkerAndEdgier than any episode of the show, shows what this could have been like. The first two series still have some signs of this, with sometimes dark storylines, occasional death threats and explicit references to Terry's criminal past, though there was plenty of comedy. By the third series ''Minder'' had firmly become the lighthearted crime caper it is better remembered as.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' was originally conceived as a dramatic, [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation 90s-esque]] musical film rather than a zany and lighthearted comedy with only one or two songs. And [[BigBad Yzma]] was originally going to have [[VillainSong her own song]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' was originally conceived as a dramatic, [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation 90s-esque]] musical film rather than a lighthearted comedy with only one or two songs. And [[BigBad Yzma]] was originally going to have [[VillainSong her own song]].

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' was originally going to be a spoof of the Kung Fu genre, but one of the directors, John Stevenson, wanted to have a blend of comedy and action to make this movie more epic, saying, "I wasn't interested in making fun of martial arts movies, because I really think they can be great films. They can be as good as any genre movie when they're done properly."

* WebAnimation/{{hololive}} took this a step farther than usual because its parent company Cover Corp. wasn't intended to be ''any'' kind of art or media company ''at all'' when it was founded in 2016 -- it initially focused on AR and VR hardware and software development. It wasn't until after they learned about VirtualYouTubers like WebAnimation/KizunaAI and was approached by someone who had a dream of being an idol about getting into the burgeoning field that the company decided to change focus towards the field, establishing the hololive group with the one who approached them becoming their first [=VTuber=] talent, Sora Tokino.

* ''VideoGame/{{Halo|Combat Evolved}}'' was originally conceived as a RealTimeStrategy game, but it made it to shelves as a FirstPersonShooter, probably because its plot and factions coupled with its genre would have made it too similar to RTS heavyweight ''VideoGame/StarCraft''. Also, the developers changed genres because they decided they wanted to play as the soldiers. Initially ''Halo'' was a third person shooter for Macs (which can be seen in early videos and screenshots) but became a first person shooter when Bungie was purchased by Microsoft.

* A light variation with ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'', the initial concept was a more traditional platformer with puzzles and exploration akin to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. The final product, while still a platformer, focused more dominantly on its now trademark speed. This evolution is even more prominent in [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 its sequel]].
* According to [[http://www.1up.com/news/super-mario-bros-25th-miyamoto 1up]][[note]]translated from an interview in Famitsu[[/note]], the NES version of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' was going to be a shoot-em-up platformer, and Mario was going to carry guns, [[http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/mario25th/4/0 like the beam gun]] similar to those in ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' and a rifle. [[HilariousInHindsight Also, he was going to]] [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 punch and kick enemies while empty-handed]], [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld ride on clouds]] (which were previously {{r|idingTheBomb}}ockets in earlier development) and fire at enemies in cloud drive-bys that would soon become [[BonusStage bonus coin stages]]. Also, the "jump button" was going to be "up" on the Control Pad, leaving the "A" button open for attacks.
* Creator/{{Rare}}ware has a habit of doing this:
** ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' was originally conceived as ''Dream'', a 2D Platform/SuperNintendo RPG with human characters rather than a 3D FunnyAnimal platformer.
** ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' was originally to be an on-rails light-gun shooter like ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' or ''VideoGame/VirtuaCop''. Before that it would have been a pre-rendered 2D platformer, like ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' but with guns. The unrelated Platform/GameBoy James Bond game is much closer to this design.
** ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' was originally just another generic kiddie platformer before they retooled it into the rude, crude, offensively over-the-top game everyone knows and loves in order to make it stand out from other Creator/{{Rare}} and Platform/Nintendo64 games. This was ''after'' the tie-in Game Boy game, which really was as saccharine as Conker was intended to be, had been released as well.
** ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' started off as an high-fantasy, action-adventure game titled ''VideoGame/DinosaurPlanet'' before ExecutiveMeddling told them to retool it into a ''Star Fox'' game, adding {{shmup}} sections to the gameplay and a sci-fi tone to the story.
* ''[[VideoGame/RavingRabbids Rayman Raving Rabbids]]'' was conceived as a Rayman 2-esque platformer with original creator Michel Ancel having full involvement, but ExecutiveMeddling caused the switch to a minigame collection and Ancel being dropped from the project.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' began development as a straightforward shoot-'em-up, cashing in on the popularity of Capcom's arcade game ''Commando'', but the programmers were having too much trouble creating a similar game on the [=MSX2=] since the hardware couldn't handle too many enemy soldiers and bullets on-screen at the same time. When Creator/HideoKojima was brought into the project to salvage it, he decided to shift the game's focus to avoiding combat.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'' started development as an online multiplayer deathmatch-style shooter unrelated to the main ''Metal Gear Solid'' storyline. ''Portable Ops Plus'' does include the online multiplayer though.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' originally was named ''Metal Gear Solid: Rising'' and was a stealth-action game that emphasized hunting enemies. When the game switched developers from Kojima Productions to Creator/PlatinumGames, the stealth aspect was toned down in favor of more straightforward combat (hence the title change), though some stealth remains as the player can kill enemies without them expecting it.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' began development as a game about shooting shurikens at enemies from a first-person view. The developers planned to include a shuriken-shaped paddle to control the player's aim. The concept didn't prove to be that interesting and Sega decided to revamp ''Shinobi'' as a side-scrolling action game, with the shuriken-throwing game idea used for the bonus stages instead.
* ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' started life as an Arthurian legend swashbuckling game with minor emphasis on stealth with the tentative name ''Dark Camelot''. Once Looking Glass Studios realized just how ''good'' they made stealthing (ie, enemies not able to see you in the dark and having to be aware of your footsteps), they made a game specifically tailored for the mechanic, instead.
* The ''Videogame/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' game for the NES by Sculptured Software was initially conceived as an action RPG titled ''The Legend of Robin Hood'' which originally [[DolledUpInstallment had nothing to do with the movie]]. After tacking on the movie license, the game's publisher, Virgin Interactive, [[ExecutiveMeddling forced the developers to make it into a more straightforward action game.]]
* ''VideoGame/TabulaRasa'' suffered a great deal in DevelopmentHell due to its production having resulted in almost three entirely different games. Originally it was meant to be a direct sequel to the successful 1997 MMO ''VideoGame/UltimaOnline'' titled ''Ultima X'', but it was cancelled by Creator/ElectronicArts as they got cold feet from the whole project, spurning the original ''Ultima'' creators (including Raph Koster and Richard Garriot) into starting a new studio, Destination Games, [[DivorcedInstallment in favor of their own original fantasy-themed MMO]], finding a publisher in the form of Creator/NCsoft. However, while the project was fairly complete by 2004, [[ExecutiveMeddling it was abruptly overhauled as NCSoft didn't believe it would have legs in their native South Korea]], resulting in another reboot with almost entirely-replaced staff. By 2005, ''Tabula Rasa'' was properly announced with its final massive sci-fi FPS retool of its aesthetic. With the fact Destination Games were crammed into an entirely different game than was envisioned, combined with [[ScrewedByTheNetwork further impatience from NCsoft demanding them to get it out as quickly as possible]], this ended up killing a lot of the game's momentum even before it was released, leading it to a lukewarm launch and [[ShortRunners only fifteen months of activity before it bit the dust.]]
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' began as a realistic, serious FPS that was going to be just like [[VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic its predecessor]], but with more realistic physics. Then in 2003, they retooled it into a sci-fi FPS entitled ''Invasion'', which involved a humans vs. aliens plot. Finally, in 2006, the game was retooled into the humorous, cartoonish, lighthearted FPS we all know of today.

* ''VideoGame/{{Toobin}}'' was originally in development as a kayaking game, with a kayak paddle controller based on the flight stick from Atari's ''Franchise/StarWars'' UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame. The development team eventually decided the controls weren't intuitive and the gameplay wasn't fun enough.
* ''VideoGame/TengaiMakyou: Ziria'' was first pitched to Creator/{{Daiei}} as a live-action feature film, then to [[Creator/TMSEntertainment Tokyo Movie Shinsha]] as an anime series. Even after Creator/HudsonSoft began producing it as a video game, the game had a TroubledProduction with many false turns, including designing the game as an ActionRPG.
* The original concept for ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' was a disturbing, DarkerAndEdgier horror game take on Creator/{{Disney}}'s [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse most iconic character]], with biomechanical BodyHorror [[http://i.neoseeker.com/ca/epic_mickey_conceptart_YjPqn.jpg character concept art]] that looked more like something from ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice.'' Perhaps unsurprisingly, Disney balked at their mascot being taken in such an overtly mature direction, and the game ended up as a much more conventional, if still slightly grim, platform game.
* ''Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse'' was originally conceived as a 3d platformer and SpiritualSuccessor to the ''VideoGame/DisneysMagicalQuest'' games when it was announced at Nintendo Space World 2001. For some reason, Creator/{{Capcom}}, at some point between Space World 2001 and E3 2002, decided to retool the game into a Point-And-Click Adventure game. On a ''console'' no less.

* ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' was always meant to be a ''Series/TwinPeaks'' and Creator/StephenKing-inspired PsychologicalHorror game, but it was originally announced as an open-world SurvivalHorror game, and after [[DevelopmentHell an extended development cycle]], it came out the other end as a more linear action-thriller with a horror bend. According to Creator/RemedyEntertainment, they wanted to do [[WideOpenSandbox an open world game]] specifically to break off from the linearity of ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'', but this turned out to be them biting off more than they could chew, as everyone at Remedy faced an increasingly uphill battle dealing with the open-world design, constantly missing deadlines as a result. Halfway through, Remedy went on a two-month break as a "sauna" group of lead developers buckled down to completely overhaul the project, figuring out what to keep and what to sacrifice, and the shift to straightforward, more easily-managable levels and gunplay was a concession to ensure that the game would be finished.
* ''VideoGame/Battlefield2042'' -- or at the time of inception, just ''Battlefield 6'' -- was meant to just be another straightforward multiplayer team-based shooter title, but once development got the go-ahead, Creator/{{DICE}} was reportedly pressured by Creator/ElectronicArts to [[FollowTheLeader "copy what's popular"]] and turn ''6'' more into a BattleRoyaleGame, directly inspired by the likes of ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' and ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' (the latter being a title that EA had also published and found massive success in). This change in gameplay genre led to the absence of key franchise features, most prominently its class system (now replaced with the gadget-centric "specialist" characters) and a single-player story campaign... which led to further problems by August 2020, as EA -- supposedly motivated by the steady success of ''Apex'' and ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019 Call of Duty: Warzone]]'' being released as major competition in the battle royale genre -- requested the game be changed ''back'' to being the usual team-based multiplayer shoot-fest, with the battle royale aspects being merged into the "Hazard Zone" side mode. By the time this switch-back occurred, [[ChristmasRushed DICE had only about 15 months left before the release deadline, forcing them into developing exclusively for the multiplayer]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'' was going to be an ActionHorror game as seen in [[https://klonoa-at-blog.tumblr.com/post/166376183258/klonoa-chronicles-part-11 one of the concept arts of the story (that depicted Klonoa fighting werewolf-like creatures) and Huepow (in his original monster design) eating and burning up enemies then inflating their lifeless corpses]]. The werewolves were later retooled into adorable Moos that we all loved today. Hoepow was later retooled into a fairy who allows the titular character to use the Wind Bullet to inflate enemies while being alive and without harm.
* ''VideoGame/JurassicParkTrespasser'' would have been a SurvivalHorror AdventureGame set in the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' universe, mostly centered around avoiding dinosaurs and solving complex puzzles. The dinosaurs were to have realistic mood swings and react differently to their surroundings, making each gameplay unique. Due to a legendarily TroubledProduction, years of delay and programming hardships, the game was hastily reconfigured into a bizarre FirstPersonShooter where aiming and shooting a gun proved to be one of the least workable functions as the overly feeble arm controls and physics were not optimized for this purpose. The enemy A.I. was stripped of nearly all sophistication, making most of the dinosaurs behave the same way all the time (at least the herbivores and a couple raptors would sometimes act friendly unless provoked), and loads of guns were scattered over the levels with little in-story justification. The game infamously tanked upon release and got horrible press, as the haphazard shifts in style and content were all too obvious.
* ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' was originally concieved as an FMV shooter similar to ''VideoGame/MadDogMcCree'' but set in the present day. Konami had rejected this idea, so digitized sprites inspired by ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' was used.