History MissingEpisode / VideoGames

* Another plagiarism scandal saw the game ''Limbo of the Lost'' removed from sale in 2008, less than a year after its release. The game's title was ironic, as it had originally been in development in the early 1990s, initially for the [UsefulNotes/AtariST]

*** There is a large and expensive chunk of that which was modeled, animated, acted and complete, but cut from the game at the last minute [[TooSoon as the 9/11 terror attacks happened towards the end of development]] (the scenes depicted Arsenal Gear laying waste to various New York landmarks). The model of the ruined New York and several of the props and character models used in the sequence can be looked at on the ''Documents of [=MGS2=]'' disc, which also presents the script of the sequence; and the novelisation and comic book adaptations (released in the 2010s) retain this sequence. One cinematic from the sequence (a news report showing the Statue of Liberty's new resting place) was DummiedOut and was found by a mod group spelunking the PC version, but it is missing audio.

** This one has a happy ending though - [[WebVideo/{{LazyGameReviews}}]] managed to get that disk, verify that it was indeed SimRefinery and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ6Cqn5rTfs film gameplay]], also sharing the disk's contents online for free.

** This one has a happy ending though - [[WebVideo/LazyGameReviews]] managed to get that disk, verify that it was indeed SimRefinery and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ6Cqn5rTfs film gameplay]], also sharing the disk's contents online for free.

* ''[=SimRefinery=], an obscure Maxis sim game made for internal use by Chevron, was thought lost until tech website ''Ars Technica'' [[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/05/the-sprawling-must-read-history-of-maxis-former-serious-games-division/ wrote an article]] about Maxis' business unit, briefly mentioning that the game was lost. One reader of the article talked to a retired chemical engineering friend and [[https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/05/the-sprawling-must-read-history-of-maxis-former-serious-games-division/?comments=1&post=38913520 was given a floppy]], perhaps the last, of the game.

* An interesting case can occur when a speedrunner or other competitive gamer fails to produce a recording of a notable achievement, either through neglect, equipment failure, or simply not having the proper tools. While generally stand-alone videos rather than part of a traditional series, this can create missing episodes in the timeline of a game's competitive history; it becomes noticeable if, for example, someone wanted to view and study how the world record speedruns of a particular game evolved over time, such as the case of WebVideo/SummoningSalt's world record progression videos. This was much more common in the earlier days of the activity, when there was less organization and socialization built around it, as well the technology being less available. Now that it's fairly trivial for anyone to record and upload footage, someone claiming a new record without proof will usually be taken as a red flag that they're lying.

* An interesting case can occur when a speedrunner or other competitive gamer fails to produce a recording of a notable achievement, either through neglect, equipment failure, or simply not having the proper tools. While generally stand-alone videos rather than part of a traditional series, this can create missing episodes in the timeline of a game's competitive history; for example, if someone wanted to view and study how the world record speedruns of a particular game evolved over time (it occurs often in speedrun history videos, such as those popularized by WebVideo/SummoningSalt). This was much more common in the earlier days of the activity, when there was less organization and socialization built around it, as well the technology being less available. Now that it's fairly trivial for anyone to record and upload footage, someone claiming a new record without proof will usually be taken as a red flag that they're lying.

* An interesting case can occur when a speedrunner or other competitive gamer fails to produce a recording of a notable achievement, either through neglect, equipment failure or forgetfulness. While generally stand-alone videos rather than part of a traditional series this can create missing episodes in the timeline of a game's competitive history, for example if someone wanted to view and study how the world record speedruns of a particular game evolved over time. This was much more common in the earlier days of the activity when there was less organization and socialization built around it as well the technology being less available, now that it's fairly trivial for anyone to record and upload footage, someone claiming a new record without proof will usually be taken as a red flag that they're lying.

* Due to the locked-down, walled garden nature of Qualcomm's BREW platform for CDMA cellphones[[note]]In what appears to be an effective yet draconian DRM scheme, BREW games are encrypted and downloads are tied to the subscriber's account, making it hard if not impossible to rip and pirate even for preservation's sake.[[/note]], practically all games made for it were lost forever, if not still stored on an old LG phone gathering dust in someone's cabinet. One such example is the Verizon VCAST-exclusive release of ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed Need for Speed Underground 2]]'', whose remaining footage is that of a [[https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/need-for-speed-underground-2-review/1900-6129297/ review]] from Website/{{Gamespot}}; the version made infamous by WebVideo/KuruHS is actually a bootleg GameMod of ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious: Fugitive]]''. It also doesn't help that, according to Gamespot's review, assets for the Verizon release of ''NFS Underground 2'' are downloaded ''ad hoc'' when the game needs it to save on device storage space (considering that memory for mobile phones is at a premium back then) as opposed to a single monolithic package. In contrast, Java ME fared better on a preservation standpoint, as while piracy was rampant due to the lack of DRM, it had the side effect of also allowing for preservation as JAR files for popular mobile games of the day can still be found on the web and played on a suitable emulator. Also contributing to the problem with BREW is its market share compared to Java ME--BREW is only available for CDMA devices, while Java ME is a lot more popular due to it being a more or less open standard and thus cheaper to implement especially in developing markets. Same goes for Symbian, though pirated games and apps for S60 Third Edition phones require a hacked device to run unsigned code, and emulators for those aside from the official Nokia [=SDKs=] are still in very early development.
* The Commodore 64 based website Games That Weren't investigates lost games, by attempting to find out why they went unreleased and trying to track down any surviving elements. Notable full-game finds included a licensed Daffy Duck game which scored 94% in Commodore Format but went unreleased when the publishers folded, but many remain lost.

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* The Commodore 64 based website Games That Weren't investigates lost games, by attempting to find out why they went unreleased and trying to track down any surviving elements. Notable full-game finds included a licensed Daffy Duck game which scored 94% in Commodore Format but went unreleased when the publishers folded, but many remain lost.

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* Back in the mid 90s, Sega had the digital distribution service known as Sega Channel. Players would receive games straight to their Genesis via a TV signal. Unfortunately, no means of storing them was provided, so the games would be lost after the system was shut down. As as result, any Sega Channel-exclusive game versions were never dumped and are now lost forever. Among them is the Sega Channel-exclusive game ''Garfield: The Lost Levels'' and the American version of ''Mega Man: The Wily Wars''. The Genesis version of ''Chessmaster'' met this fate as well as it was also a Sega Channel exclusive.

* Several UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}} magazines were sent review copies of ''Putty Squad'', and even the hardliners at ''Magazine/AmigaPower'' graded it 91%--but the Amiga port never publicly surfaced beyond a coverdisk demo. Only an UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} version was published. The Amiga version was finally released twenty years after initially planned, and for free - you can download it from System 3 on their [[http://www.system3.com/promotional-download/puttysquadamiga/ promotional page]]

* ''VideoGame/StarFox2'' was never released, even though the Japanese version was practically completed. The plot would have continued the story from the previous game, and would have introduced Star Wolf as major antagonists. The game was canceled most likely due to the pending release of the Nintendo 64. Shortly after the game's termination, ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' began development, and rebooted the storyline from scratch. Eventually the ROM was leaked to the internet, and an English FanTranslation was released. The game was finally released in 2017 via the SNES Classic Mini, and is one of the thing's major selling points. Hopefully a Virtual Console release will follow eventually.

* Due to the locked-down, walled garden nature of Qualcomm's BREW platform for CDMA cellphones[[note]]In what appears to be an effective yet draconian DRM scheme, BREW games are encrypted and downloads are tied to the subscriber's account, making it hard if not impossible to rip and pirate even for preservation's sake.[[/note]], practically all games made for it were lost forever. One such example is the Verizon VCAST-exclusive release of ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed Need for Speed Underground 2]]'', whose remaining footage is that of a [[https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/need-for-speed-underground-2-review/1900-6129297/ review]] from Website/{{Gamespot}}; the version made infamous by WebVideo/KuruHS is actually a bootleg GameMod of ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious: Fugitive]]''. It also doesn't help that, according to Gamespot's review, assets for the Verizon release of ''NFS Underground 2'' are downloaded ''ad hoc'' when the game needs it to save on device storage space (considering that memory for mobile phones is at a premium back then) as opposed to a single monolithic package. In contrast, Java ME fared better on a preservation standpoint, as while piracy was rampant due to the lack of DRM, it had the side effect of also allowing for preservation as JAR files for popular mobile games of the day can still be found on the web and played on a suitable emulator. Also contributing to the problem with BREW is its market share compared to Java ME--BREW is only available for CDMA devices, while Java ME is a lot more popular due to it being a more or less open standard and thus cheaper to implement especially in developing markets. Same goes for Symbian, though pirated games and apps for S60 Third Edition phones require a hacked device to run unsigned code, and emulators for those aside from the official Nokia [=SDKs=] are still in very early development.

* Due to the locked-down, walled garden nature of Qualcomm's BREW platform for CDMA cellphones[[note]]In what appears to be an effective yet draconian DRM scheme, BREW games are encrypted and downloads are tied to the subscriber's account, making it hard if not impossible to rip and pirate even for preservation's sake.[[/note]], practically all games made for it were lost forever. One such example is the Verizon VCAST-exclusive release of ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed Need for Speed Underground 2]]'', whose remaining footage is that of a [[https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/need-for-speed-underground-2-review/1900-6129297/ review]] from Website/{{Gamespot}}; the version made infamous by WebVideo/KuruHS is actually a bootleg GameMod of ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious: Fugitive]]''. It also doesn't help that, according to Gamespot's review, assets for the Verizon release of ''NFS Underground 2'' are downloaded ''ad hoc'' when the game needs it to save on device storage space (considering that memory for mobile phones is at a premium back then) as opposed to a single monolithic package. In contrast, Java ME fared better on a preservation standpoint, as while piracy was rampant due to the lack of DRM, it had the side effect of also allowing for preservation as JAR files for popular mobile games of the day can still be found on the web and played on a suitable emulator. Also contributing to the problem with BREW is its market share compared to Java ME--BREW is only available for CDMA devices, while Java ME is a lot more popular due to it being a more or less open standard and thus cheaper to implement especially in developing markets. Same goes for Symbian, though pirated games and apps for S60 Third Edition phones require a hacked device to run unsigned code, and emulators for those aside from the official Nokia SDKs are still in very early development.

* Due to the locked-down, walled garden nature of Qualcomm's BREW platform for CDMA cellphones[[note]]In what appears to be an effective yet draconian DRM scheme, BREW games are encrypted and downloads are tied to the subscriber's account, making it hard if not impossible to rip and pirate even for preservation's sake.[[/note]], practically all games made for it were lost forever. One such example is the Verizon VCAST-exclusive release of ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed Need for Speed Underground 2]]'', whose remaining footage is that of a [[https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/need-for-speed-underground-2-review/1900-6129297/ review]] from Website/{{Gamespot}}; the version made infamous by WebVideo/KuruHS is actually a bootleg GameMod of ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious: Fugitive]]''. It also doesn't help that, according to Gamespot's review, assets for the Verizon release of ''NFS Underground 2'' are downloaded ''ad hoc'' when the game needs it to save on device storage space (considering that memory for mobile phones is at a premium back then) as opposed to a single monolithic package. In contrast, Java ME fared better on a preservation standpoint, as while piracy was rampant due to the lack of DRM, it had the side effect of also allowing for preservation as JAR files for popular mobile games of the day can still be found on the web and played on a suitable emulator. Same goes for Symbian, though pirated games and apps for S60 Third Edition phones require a hacked device to run unsigned code, and emulators for those aside from the official Nokia SDKs are still in very early development.

* ''RescueTheRussianLeopard'' is a obscure PC game by the ''World Wild Life Fund.'' The player was charged with saving the rare Amur leopard, by securing funding and habitat, fighting poachers and forest fires, increasing the breeding population, etc. It was a realistic sim, with the aim of the game being to actually use it to find a real-world solution to this problem. This game was almost certainly pointless and a waste of funding to make to begin with, being made for a completely lost cause as there is little interest in or hope of preserving this species, but as a game, it actually was fun, unique and strategic, if NintendoHard. The game appears to have completely disappeared of the face of the Earth, possibly only findable now on unsafe websites if even that.

** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' had a number of free DLC released for the Dreamcast versions, which were excluded from later rereleases and are no longer available to download via official means. Fans managed to preserve most but not all of the DLC. Among the permanently lost content are the Black Market Chao downloads, which included rare Chao not available through any other means (although they can still be obtained through hacking) for both games, the first New Year DLC for Japanese Sonic Adventure, and at least one kart race track for the international version of Sonic Adventure.

* The infamous would-be KillerApp for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, ''VideoGame/SonicXtreme'', [[{{Vaporware}} never made it to shelves]] – a result of the game's TroubledProduction, which was riddled to the core with ExecutiveMeddling – taking a near-fatal toll on the remaining programmer's health, due to which the game's development was discontinued shortly afterwards. Some assets – such as character sprites, level assets, and a early prototype of the "Project Condor" boss engine – have been leaked onto the internet, whereas other aspects (such as the original engine used for the game) have not seen release.

** An in-universe example exists in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'': after [[spoiler:[[FakeUltimateHero Captain Qwark]]'s DisneyDeath aboard [[BigBad Dr. Nefarious]]'s ship above Zeldrin]], Big Al finds the unreleased and classified fifth entry in the Qwark [[ShowWithinAShow Vid-Comic]] series, which unlike the other entries is narrated by [[FriendInTheBlackMarket Slim Cognito]] and reveals what happened between Qwark and Nefarious after Qwark's victory in the fourth entry.

* There's actually quite a lot of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' [[GameMod romhacks]] that fall into this. Some examples include anything from before the time SMW Central was 'hacked' and wiped clean six or so years ago, any resources use in the Japanese hacks Ore World 2 and The Mario (since the authors websites have vanished along with their asm and code), anything from the first VIP 5 uploader (taken down because people used it for things other than VIP 5 submissions), anything from the original Japanese hack hosting/submission site (which vanished without a trace a few years back) and "Super Mario World Freedom" since the author's website has been taken down.

* An interesting case can occur when a speedrunner or other competitive gamer fails to produce a recording of a notable achievement, either through neglect, equipment failure or forgetfulness. While generally stand-alone videos rather than part of a traditional series this can create missing episodes in the timeline of a game's competitive history, for example if someone wanted to view and study how the world record speedruns of a particular game evolved over time. This was much more common in the earlier days of the activity when there was less organization and socialization built around it as well the technology being less available, now that it's fairly trivial for anyone to record and upload footage [[CaptainObvious someone claiming a new record without proof will usually be taken as a red flag that they're lying]].