History Main / MovedToTheNextConsole

** Development for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' originally started on the Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem, but was postponed in favor of working on ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. Once that game was released, Square revisited the project on the Platform/Nintendo64, until frustrations with Nintendo's use of cartridges on the system (rather than the more capable UsefulNotes/CompactDisc format) combined with longstanding issues with the company's licensing and censorship policies motivated the developers to shift focus to the Platform/PlayStation, on which it would ultimately release.

** ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'' began development as a Platform/SegaGenesis title under the name ''Sonic Crackers''. When Sega realized that the sun was rapidly setting on [[UsefulNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames the 16-bit era]], they moved the game to the Platform/Sega32X (it was also considered for the Platform/SegaSaturn, but its increasingly stagnant development and a lack of [=32X=] titles led to it being moved there instead), reorienting it to remove Sonic & Tails and instead give Knuckles ADayInTheLimelight.

* ''VideoGame/KameoElementsOfPower'' had its development span across four different consoles. It was initially conceptualized as an Nintendo 64 title before shifting production asto be a potential [=GameCube=] launch title. Then developer Creator/{{Rare}} was purchased by Microsoft, at which point ''Kameo'' was moved to the Platform/{{Xbox}} and began being retooled for the more young adult-skewing demographic of the console; the long process of which ultimately resulted in it becoming an Platform/Xbox360 launch title.

* ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' started off as an N64 title, but due to starting development so late in the console's lifespan, Nintendo pushed them to make it a Platform/NintendoGameCube launch title instead. However, the need to replace one of the game's chapters in order to [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents distance itself from the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks]] resulted in the game being delayed into the following year.

** Development for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' originally started on the Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem, but was postponed in favor of working on ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. Once that game was released, Square revisited the project on the Platform/Nintendo64, until frustrations with Nintendo's use of cartridges on the system (rather than the more capable Platform/CompactDisc format) combined with longstanding issues with the company's licensing and censorship policies motivated the developers to shift focus to the Platform/PlayStation, on which it would ultimately release.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cubivore}}'' started out as a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 title intended for the [=64DD=] peripheral. After the add-on's failure, it was shifted to being a standard N64 game, but due to it being late in the system's lifespan, it was moved to the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube instead.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ico}}'' started life as a UsefulNotes/PlayStation title, but got shifted to the UsefulNotes/Playstation2 halfway through production due to the development team running into various hardware limitations on the former and not wishing to alter the scope and vision of the game.
* ''VideoGame/KameoElementsOfPower'' had its development span across four different consoles. It was initially conceptualized as an Nintendo 64 title before shifting production asto be a potential [=GameCube=] launch title. Then developer Creator/{{Rare}} was purchased by Microsoft, at which point ''Kameo'' was moved to the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} and began being retooled for the more young adult-skewing demographic of the console; the long process of which ultimately resulted in it becoming an UsefulNotes/Xbox360 launch title.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastGuardian'' was announced at E3 2009 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 but didn't end up coming out until 7 years later on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' was intended to receive an {{expansion pack}} called ''Ura Zelda'', planned for the console's [=64DD=] add-on. The failure of the [=64DD=] led to it being scrapped, but it would come to inspire the ''Master Quest'' mode in the [=GameCube=] re-release and UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS remake.
* {{Inverted}} with ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. It was originally planned to be a UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 release, but because the hardware specifications of the [=PS3=] had yet to be finalized at the time of development, the game was instead made for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. The game would later see an UpdatedRerelease for the [=PS3=] as part of the ''Metal Gear Solid HD Collection'', however.
* ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' was originally planned for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, but series producer Yoshio Sakamoto felt its hardware was not powerful enough to convey his vision for the game. The project was shelved before eventually re-entering production over a decade later for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. It is generally assumed that Sakamoto was referring to the E.M.M.I. when talking about the hardware, with their behavior requiring more advanced scripting than the handheld could accomplish.
* ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' was announced at E3 2005 during the press conference where the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 itself was revealed. The game wasn't released until 2017 (12 years later) on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.
* ''VideoGame/ShiningWisdom'' was rushed to be released on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn rather than the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis due to [[Creator/{{Sega}} Sega's]] surprise launch of that console several months early.
* ''VideoGame/TooHuman'' started out as a UsefulNotes/PlayStation title, before becoming a [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] title when developer Silicon Knights entered an exclusive partnership with Nintendo. The production on other titles pushed development back, with the game briefly becoming intended for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} until Silicon Knights learned of the system's hardware specifications, prompting them to immediately end their deal with Nintendo to instead develop the game as a UsefulNotes/Xbox360 title.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' was first conceived as a 2D platformer for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem, but was quickly shifted to the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 when one of the lead developers insisted that it should be a shooter.
* ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' went through two platform changes and one [[MidDevelopmentGenreShift genre change]] before it was finally released. Creator/{{Steve Jobs}} himself introduced the game as a RealTimeStrategy title releasing simultaneously for [[UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh Mac]] and PC during the 1999 Macworld Conference & Expo. Bungie later changed it into a shooter, after which Microsoft bought Bungie, and made it an exclusive launch title for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} console. Funnily enough, it ended up getting ported to both PC and Mac after all, though two years later and by third parties (Creator/GearboxSoftware handling the PC port and Westlake Interactive getting the Mac port).

* ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' started off as an N64 title, but due to starting development so late in the console's lifespan, Nintendo pushed them to make it a UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube launch title instead. However, the need to replace one of the game's chapters in order to [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents distance itself from the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks]] resulted in the game being delayed into the following year.

* The UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube had a number of scrapped peripherals and features that Nintendo would later implement into future hardware:
** Nintendo experimented with motion controls for the system, with early versions of the [=GameCube=] controller having the feature. The idea was kept long enough for some developers to begin utilizing it in development of their games, but it was ultimately scrapped. The concept would serve as the basis for the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii, with there also being patents that suggest the system's Wiimote and Nunchuk may have been considered as possible peripherals for the [=GameCube=] as well, before it was decided to make them a standalone console.
** Nintendo considered a slimmed-down, portable version of the [=GameCube=] with a LCD screen that could connect to a TV via a docking station. They never went through with this idea, but the concept would eventually manifest with the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
* After a few early, unsuccessful experiments with stereoscopic 3D that took the form of a [=3D=] glasses accessory for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom]] and the UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy, Nintendo looked into implementing stereoscopic 3D on a number of their subsequent systems before finally doing so with the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS. These include special 3D display accessories for both the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube and UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance that were scrapped; the former because it would have cost more than the [=GameCube=] itself, and the latter because the GBA's screen resolution was too low to produce a satisfactory 3D effect.

* ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' went through this along with a MidDevelopmentGenreShift. The developers originally envisioned it as a pirate-themed {{RPG}}-adventure for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem before deciding to turn it into a FunnyAnimal 3D CollectAThonPlatformer for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' game started development as a Super NES game, but it was later shifted to the UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar, UsefulNotes/PlayStation, and UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn.

** ''VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix'' began development as a UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis title under the name ''Sonic Crackers''. When Sega realized that the sun was rapidly setting on [[UsefulNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames the 16-bit era]], they moved the game to the UsefulNotes/Sega32X (it was also considered for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, but its increasingly stagnant development and a lack of [=32X=] titles led to it being moved there instead), reorienting it to remove Sonic & Tails and instead give Knuckles ADayInTheLimelight.
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' started out life on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn using the "Sonic World" engine from ''VideoGame/SonicJam''. Early in development, it was moved to the then-upcoming UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast.
* According to a ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' preview on G4 (circa 2006), it was initially going to be a UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube game (this was in turn one of the remnants of the cancelled ''Super Mario 128'' project).
* ''VideoGame/SuperMeatBoy'' was original planned as a UsefulNotes/WiiWare game; however, the developers were unable to fit the game within the strict 40 MB size limit for [=WiiWare=] games, so they released it on UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade instead.
* A Wii U version of ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'' was planned, but cancelled when development moved towards the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* ''VideoGame/TheWitness'' was originally planned for UsefulNotes/Xbox360 and UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, but later moved to the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 after the game engine grew beyond the capabilities of the 7th generation.

* ''VideoGame/KirbyAirRide'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube started life as an early UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 title called ''Kirby Bowl'', a sequel to ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamCourse'', then ''Kirby's Air Ride''. This incarnation of the game ended up being cancelled, but eventually got revived as a [=GameCube=] game.

* ''[=EarthBound=] 64'' (''Mother 3'' in Japan) started out as a UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem game, then a 64DD game, then a standard UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 title, but development stagnated due to a mix of Creator/ShigesatoItoi overestimating the N64's capabilities and the dev team's inexperience with 3D, which led to the game getting cancelled in 2000. Six years later, it came out as the sprite-based (and [[NoExportForYou Japanese only]]) ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.
* ''VideoGame/ElementalGimmickGear'' was being developed for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn before being released for the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast. The game as released shows off the Dreamcast's advanced 3D capabilities in {{Boss Battle}}s, but maintains a low-resolution 2D look in other sections.

** Development for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' originally started on the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem, but was postponed in favor of working on ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. Once that game was released, Square revisited the project on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, until frustrations with Nintendo's use of cartridges on the system (rather than the more capable UsefulNotes/CompactDisc format) combined with longstanding issues with the company's licensing and censorship policies motivated the developers to shift focus to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, on which it would ultimately release.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' was announced in 2006 as ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, a spin-off of the then-still-upcoming ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII''. After a decade of ScheduleSlip, the connection to ''Final Fantasy XIII'' was dropped, and it was it reworked into the series' next mainline installment that ultimately released on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'' was originally intended for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, but some TroubledProduction caused by the failure of the [=64DD=] peripheral led to development being restarted from scratch and moved to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': Camelot originally planned the first game for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, but since development began late in that console's life, they decided to develop it for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance instead.
* VideoGame/{{Omori}} was supposed to come out on UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS in addition to PC as part of a stretch goal, but when the game's development cycle eclipsed the [=3DS=]'s lifecycle, the game was ported to UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 instead.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4 Golden'' was originally planned as a PSP title. However, after the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita was announced, they chose to make it for that system instead, since it would allow them to produce a proper UpdatedRerelease that wouldn't require them to remove any features from the original [=PS2=] version.
* The original ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts1'' was originally planned for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, like its predecessor ''VideoGame/{{Koudelka}}''. Development shifted to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 for the final release.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' was originally made for UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn during the last years of the console, but due to limitations of the system and the upcoming arrival of the then-next console UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast, the developers decided to move the game to the new platform. Actually there're [[https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/10/shenmue-saturn-version/ plenty of images when the game was in development]], as well [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl1Y53W89bw some]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wckIE-XNgvM videos]]; there are also [[UrbanLegendOfZelda strong rumours]] about a Saturn ISO with the beta existing, but this has never been confirmed.

* According to Creator/TobyFox, Nintendo approached him about the possibility of porting ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' to the UsefulNotes/WiiU and/or UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, only for the idea to be scrapped due to neither system supporting the Game Maker game engine (which ''Undertale'' was developed with). The game would eventually be ported to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, the successor system to both devices, which ''did'' support Game Maker.

* ''VideoGame/{{Nintendogs}}'' was conceived as a UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube title, but it was moved to the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS to take advantage of its touch-screen.

** [[https://metro.co.uk/2021/04/14/new-pokemon-snap-interview-take-beautiful-photos-of-pokemon-14406270/ According to]] ''VideoGame/NewPokemonSnap'' director Haruki Suzaki, there were several attempts to develop such a game for various (unspecified) consoles prior to them joining, before plans were finally settled to develop the game for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
* A Wii U port of ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' was scrapped in order for it to instead appear on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' was initially planned to be released on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. However, early in development the production team was shown the upcoming UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and were so impressed they switched over to take advantage of the new hardware. It could be argued they went overboard in this aspect, as they ended up having to cut some character animations to fit the whole game on a GBA cartridge.