History WhatCouldHaveBeen / VideoGamesGToM

* ''Gotham By Gaslight'' by Fracture 1 was going to be a video game adaptation of the very first {{Elseworlds}} story of the same name, where a Victorian era Batman battled Jack The Ripper. The game was cancelled in 2010.

* In late 1982, The Great Game Company (which would later become [=GameTek=]) announced plans to adapt seven game shows into video games for the Atari 2600: ''Series/FamilyFeud'', ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', ''Series/TheJokersWild'', ''[[Series/{{Password}} Password Plus]]'', ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', ''Series/TicTacDough'' and ''Series/WheelOfFortune''. Unfortunately, they were being developed just as UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 started and the plans were put to an abrupt end. Of the seven games, only ''Feud'' got far enough for a prototype which is presumed to be lost.

* A video game based off ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' (and not the NES game) was pitched at one point. It recreates the town havoc scene in the first movie, and you play Gizmo as you set up traps to stop the other Gremlins. It was turned down, but the guy who pitched it [[http://neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=36011147&postcount=91 put some previews of what it could've been like.]]

** ''Halo: Chronicles'' by [=WingNut Interactive=] would have been an episodic series of games with interactive storytelling. Peter Jackson was going to be involved, but according to him, the project collapsed when the ''Halo'' movie was cancelled.
* Origin Systems Inc. had secured the rights to make a ''Franchise/HarryPotter Online'' in the late 90s, but the project was scrapped. Note that this predated both the movies and the last three books, meaning that it would have been very different from Pottermore.
* When the licencing for ''Harry Potter'' became available, Nintendo actually tried to get it. In an attempt to get the licence, they ended up suspending (and ultimately cancelling) production on ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer 64'', ''VideoGame/BionicCommando 64'' and ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}'' to do so. There were arguments on if they should either go with the British cover-style artwork or a more Japanese anime-styling. Ultimately, it proved for naught as Warner Brothers got the licence since they also included film and TV.

* ''VideoGame/HeavenlyGuardian'' would have been a sequel to the classic Creator/{{Taito}} arcade game ''VideoGame/KikiKaiKai'', but after Taito got bought out by Creator/SquareEnix, Square Enix [[ScrewedByTheLawyers revoked the license]]. [[BrokenBase Considering how the game turned out in the end, this may or may not have been a good thing.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'':
** ''Highlander: The Gathering'', known as ''Highlander Online'', was an MMORPG in development by Kalisto Entertainment around 2001-2002.
** ''Highlander: The Game'', developed by Widescreen Games, would have starred a new character, [=Owen MacLeod=], but the game was cancelled in 2010 by the publisher Creator/SquareEnix.

* ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis'' was going to receive a fan made remastered version titled ''Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis Special Edition'', but the project was stopped due to a cease and desist.

* ''Jane's Combat Simulations'' was going to have ''Jane's A-10'' by Origin Systems.
* ''Film/JurassicWorld'' by Cryptic Studios North was going to be a third person action game running on Unreal Engine 4, for Steam, Xbox Live and PSN, with the Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady as a playable character.

* A cancelled ''Justice League'' fighting game by Double Helix was planned as an UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} tie-in to George Miller's cancelled ''Justice League'' movie.

* ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'':
** An issue of ''Nintendo Power'' revealed to readers a ''Super Kid Icarus'' title coming to the SNES. Never mentioned again and no photos or footage exists.
** ''Icarus'', a game for the Wii made by Factor 5, the creators of the ''VideoGame/RogueSquadron'' game series. The game would have followed an older Pit who could fly without aid. The game would have been more mature, with Pit's design reflecting that. Nintendo rejected it since they felt the game was too much of a departure from the series, and even former Factor 5 developers felt they were missing the point.
** Creator/RetroStudios attempted a pitch to make a new installment. Since they had no gameplay prototype to show, it didn't go through. One of the reasons ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' exists is because gameplay was conceived [[DolledUpInstallment before]] the decision to make it a ''Kid Icarus'' title was made.

* ''Killing Day'' was a game announced by Ubisoft for the [=PS3=] and Xbox 360, and ended up being cancelled in 2005.
* [[http://www.50yearsofkimba.com/videogamestory.html There were plans]] for making video games of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', one for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and another for the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}, but both attempts ended up as VaporWare.

* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'':
** There was going to be a sixth game, ''Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun'', that finally tied up all the loose ends. Unfortunately: 1. Amy Hennig, the lead writer of the series, left Crystal Dynamics. 2. The person Hennig left in charge died before someone else could be chosen. 3. Crystal Dynamics was given the ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series. And the first ''[=LoK=]'' sequel, ''Soul Reaver'', was originally intended to have a different conclusion, rather than a cliffhanger. This is evident in a number of sound files on the disc of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version of the game relating to an actual death of Kain followed by the apparent use of a giant cathedral organ to destroy all of the remaining vampires in Nosgoth. Afterward, though, he would've learnt that the Elder God was evil all along and this ending would lead into a different version of Soul Reaver 2. Also the concept of Wraith Blade being Raziel's soul was there from the start, but not to be realized in any version of Soul Reaver.
** Aside from the ending, many gameplay elements in ''Soul Reaver'' had to be cut very late in development: The Human Citadel would have housed a cult of vampire-worshippers, with their priestess serving as an optional boss encounter, and many glyphs and alternate Reaver forms were DummiedOut, thought they can be accessed by cheat codes.

* Traveler's Tails had planned a few other LEGO games. First was an attempt to make a LEGO Franchise/JamesBond series. However, while the various rights holders were on board with the idea, the release of ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' scuttled that idea as they realized the Bond franchise was going into a darker angle. They also attempted a LEGO Franchise/TombRaider game, but when they felt the franchise couldn't hold itself up by itself, they attempted to have her as a guest star in ''VideoGame/LEGOIndianaJones''. When Lucasarts learned of Lara and that she was a ripoff of Indiana, they furiously refused to let them do so.

* When they went out of business, Looking Glass Studios -- makers of ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'', ''VideoGame/UltimaUnderworld'', the original ''VideoGame/SystemShock'', and many other such games -- was working on a game called [[http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46265 Deep Cover,]] a spy-themed stealth thriller game spanning the length of the Cold War.
* Another sandbox PC game called ''Loose Cannon'', developed by Sinister Games, was supposed to come out in 2002. The main character in the game would have had the freedom to explore a detailed city, take missions and drive vehicles. [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto Sounds familiar]]? This game was canned too.
* ''The Lost'' by Irrational Games and [=FXLabs=] was going to be a third person shooter survival horror game to be released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, and was instead released on PC in India as ''Agni: Queen of Darkness'' with redone art.
* [=LucasArts=] Team Three studio came up with ideas for five or six UsefulNotes/NintendoDS games, including an animal-based platformer, a photo-examining detective game, and Caveland, a downloadable shooting game.

* ''Film/MadMax'': The SNES/Genesis game ''Outlander'', by Mindscape, was going to be based on ''[[Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior The Road Warrior]]'', until Mindscape lost the ''Mad Max'' license. The developer Melbourne House cancelled an N64 port and planned sequel to ''[=DethKarz=]'', and began working on ''Mad Max: Asylum'', a game set years after ''Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome'', but Melbourne House was denied the ''Mad Max'' license.

* After ''VideoGame/MarvelNemesisRiseOfTheImperfects'', [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA Chicago]] began work on a new fighting game tentatively titled ''Marvel'' or ''Marvel Chaos''. The game would have had fully-interactive open world environments that could be damaged, with Comicbook/SpiderMan, Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk, Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}, Comicbook/CaptainAmerica, Comicbook/DoctorDoom, [[Comicbook/JeanGrey Phoenix]], [[Comicbook/TheMightyThor Thor]] and the Juggernaut planned as playable combatants. The voice cast would have included David Faustino as Spider-Man, Gregg Henry as Wolverine and Creator/SteveBlum as Captain America. ''Marvel'' was cancelled after EA closed its Chicago division and ended its license with Marvel Entertainment.
* ''Comicbook/{{Marvel 2099}}: One Nation Under Doom'' was an action platformer that would've been released on Windows PC and the [=PlayStation=], with Comicbook/SpiderMan2099, Comicbook/ThePunisher2099, Hulk 2099, and various members of the X-Men 2099 planned as playable characters.

* ''Meantime'' was going to be a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/{{Wasteland}}'', involving time travel, with the player travelling forwards and backwards in time, and meeting historical characters.

* ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' initially began development as a particularly ambitious UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}DD title with a bigger world and a storyline that was to focus on ten different main characters over the course of ten years. Several familiar characters were present in the screenshots, but with noticeably different designs: Flint had a BadassLongcoat, Duster seemed to be a parody of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Link]], Kumatora's getup was surprisingly {{Stripperiffic}}, and DCMC had a female vocalist. The game was also built around the console's 64DD add-on, which would add to the game's replay value by including, among other things, an internal clock that would affect certain actions in-game. The commercial failure of the 64DD ([[VaporWare in the N64's final days, many years and countless abandoned-for-cart games after its originally intended release]]) put a huge damper on the title's completion, as did the development team's inexperience with 3D games. The project was officially canned in 2000 after six years' worth of delays, but it eventually got picked up again to be retooled for the Game Boy Advance. And even when the game was shifted to the GBA, the game's storyline and gameplay went through a ton of changes. Among several examples, [[MushroomSamba Tanetane Island]] as seen in the final version is toned down compared to what it was in development, because [[NightmareFuel Itoi found it too scary]], Flint was going to [[spoiler:kill the Mecha-Drago instead of sparing it]], [[spoiler:Porky]] was going to die, DummiedOut sprites imply Kumatora was going to be [[spoiler:the final Magypsy instead of Fassad]], [[spoiler:Claus's death and cyborgification (into a Starman, unlike the final version)]] was going to be clearly seen.
* ''Mr. Bill's Neighborhood'' for the Atari 2600 would had been ''Series/MrBill'''s first video game if it was released. Yet, this game was 100% complete and ready to be released but was cancelled due to the publisher, Data Age, couldn't afford to pay the licensing fees after their license game Journey Escape's poor critical reception.

** Some other ideas were that worlds like [[Disney/TheLionKing the Pride Lands]] were originally supposed to appear in the first game but they didn't have the tech to make it, some unused sprites for ''358/2 Days'' show that a Disney/{{Pinocchio}} world had been planned, but removed for unknown reasons, and ''Birth By Sleep'' has remnants of a world based on ''Disney/TheJungleBook'' DummiedOut.

*** A world based on the circus scenes from ''Disney/{{Pinocchio}}'' with a WhatMeasureIsANonHuman-centered plot was planned but scrapped due to space limitations, though elements of this plot point found new life in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance''. There are still some ''Pinocchio'' assets [[DummiedOut hiding in the game data]].

*** Noble Team was originally going to be comprised of seven members, but was later slimmed down to six. Two ideas for Noble Seven remain as {{Development Gag}}s: Thom-A293 is the deceased Spartan whom Noble Six is replacing at the start of the game, while Rosenda-A344 is mentioned in background materials as a possible substitute for Emile should Noble Team be deployed against Insurrectionists.

*** The development team originally wanted the Devil Trigger for Vergil's DLC costume to be his Nelo Angelo armor from the original ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry|1}}''. However, this proved problematic, as Nelo uses a completely different fighting style ''and'' weapon (a large [[{{BFS}} zweihander]] instead of Vergil's katana), so they instead went with Sparda's Devil Trigger form.

*** The development team originally wanted Vergil's DLC costume to be his Nelo Angelo armor from the original ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry|1}}''. However, this proved problematic, as Nelo uses a completely different fighting style ''and'' weapon (a large [[{{BFS}} zweihander]] instead of Vergil's katana), so they instead went with his "Corrupt Vergil" outfit from ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|Dantes Awakening}}''.

*** The development team originally wanted Vergil's DLC costume to be his Nelo Angelo design from the original ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry|1}}''. However, this proved problematic, as Nelo uses a completely different fighting style ''and'' weapon (a large [[{{BFS}} zweihander]] instead of Vergil's katana), so they instead went with his "Corrupt Vergil" outfit from ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|Dantes Awakening}}''.

*** The development team originally wanted Vergil's DLC costume to be his Nelo Angelo design from the original ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry|1}}''. However, this proved problematic, as Nelo uses a completely different fighting style ''and'' weapon (a large [[{{BFS}} zweihander]] instead of Vergil's katana), so they instead went with his "Corrupted Vergil" outfit from ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|Dantes Awakening}}''.

*** The development team originally wanted Vergil's DLC costume to be his Nelo Angelo design from the original ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''. However, this proved problematic, as Nelo uses a completely different fighting style ''and'' weapon (a large [[{{BFS}} zweihander]] instead of Vergil's katana), so they instead went with his "Corrupted Vergil" outfit from ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|Dantes Awakening}}''.

*** The development team originally wanted Vergil's DLC costume to be his Nelo Angelo design from the original ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''. However, this proved problematic, as Nelo uses a different fighting style ''and'' weapon (a large zweihander instead of Vergil's katana), so they instead went with his "Corrupted Vergil" outfit from ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|Dantes Awakening}}''.

*** The development team originally wanted Vergil's DLC costume to be his Nelo Angelo design from the original ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''. However, this proved problematic, as Nelo uses a different fighting style ''and'' weapon (a large zweihander instead of Vergil's katana), so they instead went with his "Corrupted Vergil" outfit from ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|Dantes Awakening}}.

*** Data mining has revealed that 61 characters were initially planned, which lines up with rumors that a second season of DLC content was in the works at one time. Reportedly, the Season 2 DLC characters would've included Comicbook/{{Ms Marvel|2014}} and Comicbook/StarLord on the Marvel side, and [[VideoGame/AsurasWrath Asura]], [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Lady, Vergil]] and [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIII Gill]] on the Capcom side. The game's disappointing sales led to Capcom pulling the plug on any additional support.

** For ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', Rockstar originally had [[https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/07/28/gta-5-online-grand-theft-auto-v-dlc-story/ single-player expansions]] in the works that would have [[AndTheAdventureContinues continued the story]] of the game's protagonists, including a casino heist and a ZombieApocalypse-themed expansion. However, the ObviousBeta state of the game's multiplayer mode, ''GTA Online'', at launch necessitated lots of work to fix it, and furthermore, ''GTA Online'' went on to become an unexpectedly massive CashCowFranchise, causing Rockstar to redirect its post-launch support to adding new multiplayer content. Some of the things they were planning to add to single-player through expansions, including the casino, would be retooled into multiplayer expansions instead.

** ''GodOfWarGhostOfSparta'' for the PSP has Kratos' StartOfDarkness and his brother Deimos as a major part of the story. The game had a boss fight against his brother, but it was the other one he hadn't killed by that point.

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarSeries'':
** The game was to have a second disk featuring rejected designs for a few monsters and Kratos, as well as a level cut because they couldn't get it to work right. It also has several sequel hook cinematics which (so far) seem to have been tossed out, including one where the plot of the second game was apparently going to focus on Kratos' brother who grew up in Hades due to having been left for dead as a baby (the standard Spartan procedure for babies deemed "weak" by the elders) and his quest for revenge.

** ''God of War: Ghost of Sparta'' for the PSP has Kratos' StartOfDarkness and his brother Deimos as a major part of the story. The game had a boss fight against his brother, but it was the other one he hadn't killed by that point.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheGetaway The Getaway 3]]'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, by SCE London Studio, and a planned film adaptation, were indefinitely put on hold.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':

* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
** ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' was originally a licensed game based on ''Anime/AstroBoy''. The license was pulled during the game's development, leading to a whole new franchise.
** An interview with planner Akira Kitamura reveals that ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' was supposed to have an EasterEgg in [[LostWoods Wood Man's stage]], where shooting off an Atomic Fire blast would start a forest fire and cause all of the Battons nesting in the trees to fly away. This was scrapped before release, but the animated palette that was supposed to be used for the fire animation is still in the ROM. The idea may have inspired the ability to burn away foliage in Sting Chameleon's stage with Fire Wave in ''VideoGame/MegaManX1''.
** The ''[[VideoGameRemake Maverick Hunter X]]'' series was supposed to be Inafune's reimagining of the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, with updated graphics, voice-acting, animated cutscenes, and better focus on plot and characterization. Unfortunately, low sales of the first MHX game has scrapped the series. When the ''Mega Man X Collection'' was first announced, there were plans to add enhancements and redub the later games. However, the idea was scrapped when the developers decided to simply put those features into the ''Maverick Hunter X'' remakes. Thus players received a collection of straight ports retaining the same faults as the originals, and the proposed series was, as mentioned above, cancelled.
** ''Mega Man X'' falls into this too. Keiji Inafune, the producer of the majority of the ''Mega Man'' series, originally created Zero as the main protagonist of the game; however, he eventually decided that Zero looked too different from the original Mega Man to be easily sympathized with by long-time ''Mega Man'' fans, so he turned Zero into X's somewhat cooler friend and mentor, delegating the authority of creating the true main character to someone else.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX2'' was supposed to have a fourth, female member of the X-Hunters, but she, alongside a second form for one of the others, was scrapped due to technical limitations. They were also supposed to be called the "Four Guardians" before the cut was made; the name was reused in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series.
** After ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'', Inafune intended the series to end so he could begin with the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, but Capcom executives released a ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'', without his input, just so they could continue to cash in. And that is the reason you don't mention [[TheScrappy Axl]] in hardcore ''MMX'' fan forums. Also, when the ''Zero'' series was being made, Inafune had to adjust his desired plot due to the continuing ''X'' series and ExecutiveMeddling. X was supposed to be the villain of the first game, changed to an imperfect clone. It was also going to delve into Zero's origin, but that was scrapped.
** At one point, [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/megaman/images/8/8b/Baroque%26Crash.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110314214852 these guys]], Baroque and Crash, were meant to be Mega Man and Rush's rival, but they were heavily reworked into, you guessed it: Bass and Treble.
** And then, there's [[http://www.themmnetwork.com/2010/08/16/bond-man-the-phantom-robot-master/ Bond Man]]. Apparently the original Mega Man was intended to have 8 Robot Masters instead of 6 - 7 had been designed when technical limitations pushed the number down to 6. The cut Master was the glue-based Bond Man. Oddly, despite ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'' being a remake of the first game with two new Robot Masters, Bond Man does not appear, because the developers wanted him to remain an enigmatic "Lost" character.
** Because the developers took fan submissions for Robot Masters from ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' to ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'', roughly ''750,000'' bosses were at one point or another under consideration for the games.
** Mega Man was originally going to have the ability to crouch in the first game. This was scrapped when it was decided that the graphical limitations of the NES made it too hard to determine whether a projectile needed to be crouched under or jumped over. The [[FanSequel fan-made]] game ''VideoGame/MegaManRocks'' averts this by allowing Mega Man to crouch.
** In ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'', Rush's third ability was to have been Rush Drill rather than Rush Jet.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'''s prototype storyline originally had a few differences from the final product:
*** Lan was supposed to lead a group called Right to fight against a prototype World 3 called WWPO (it was scrapped so that Lan could go solo, although he joins a group in BN 5).
*** Chaud was supposed to be rich and to treat net navis as no more than tools.
*** There was supposed to be a character named Mike Kenan, who was to be a high school age kid, that was an official netbattler (these two were merged, to create Chaud's final personality).
*** Mike was to pass his net navi Roll.EXE to Mayl/Maylu and then take Bass.EXE as a new navi (changed to her having Roll from the beginning, and to Bass being a solo net navi).
*** Mayl/Maylu was supposed to participate in the final battle against the Lifevirus (changed, but she still appears [[http://lparchive.org/Mega-Man-Battle-Network/Update%2016/ prior]] to that battle, along side Chaud).
** Back when ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}} Anniversary Collection'' was announced, there were going to be two versions - the console version we got and a handheld version for the Game Boy Advance that would bring back the five Game Boy ''Mega Man'' games. However, it's said that the games' original code was lost and thus the project was scrapped.
** For ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'', we could have gotten [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:CementMan.jpg Cement Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:WeatherMan1.jpg Weather Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:OceanMan.jpg Ocean Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:PlasmaMan.jpg Plasma Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:DiamondMan.jpg Diamond Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:HoneyWoman.jpg Honey Woman]], and [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:SpaceMan.jpg Space Man]]. In other words, Splash Woman and Hornet Man ended up swapping genders during production.
** As shown [[http://www.themmnetwork.com/2013/04/09/maverick-hunter-the-mega-man-x-fps-that-almost-was/ here]], there was going to be a first person shooter game based on the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series.
** ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' would have featured a female Robot Master (the second one after Splash Woman), but she was scrapped due to her weapon not meshing well with the game's play style.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce 4'' would feature the game going in a DarkerAndEdgier direction. Geo Stellar would have teamed up with a boy named Kazuma who happens to be a direct descendant of Lan Hikari. The two would become hackers and be wanted by the Satella Police. The game was in production at one point but was cancelled due to lackluster sales from both ''Star Force 3'' and ''Operation Shooting Star''.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheGetaway The Getaway 3]]'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, by SCE London Studio, and a planned film adaptation, were indefinitely put on hold. [[YouIdiots You’re is fool]]

* ''[[VideoGame/TheGetaway The Getaway 3]]'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, by SCE London Studio, and a planned film adaptation, were indefinitely put on hold.

** ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'' originally began as a sequel to Kirby's Cream Course titled "Kirby Bowl 64". One of the game's elements had Kirby riding on a warp star through the stage. When the developers decided to expand this concept the game became the Nintendo 64 version of Kirby's Air Ride. The project would get shelved indefinitely and would then become Kirby 64.

* In late 1982, The Great Game Company (which would later become [=GameTek=]) announced plans to adapt seven game shows into video games for the Atari 2600: ''Series/FamilyFeud'', ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}, ''Series/TheJokersWild'', ''[[Series/{{Password}} Password Plus]]'', Series/ThePriceIsRight'', ''Series/TicTacDough'' and ''Series/WheelOfFortune''. Unfortunately, they were being developed just as UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 started and the plans were put to an abrupt end. Of the seven games, only ''Feud'' got far enough for a prototype which is presumed to be lost.

* Traveler's Tails had planned a few other LEGO games. First was an attempt to make a LEGO Franchise/JamesBond series. However, while the various rights holders were on board with the idea, the release of ''Film/CasinoRoyale'' scuttled that idea as they realized the Bond franchise was going into a darker angle. They also attempted a LEGO Franchise/TombRaider game, but when they felt the franchise couldn't hold itself up by itself, they attempted to have her as a guest star in ''VideoGame/LEGOIndianaJones''. When Lucasarts learned of Lara and that she was a ripoff of Indiana, they furiously refused to let them do so.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'':
** The book ''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'' reveals a lot of ideas that were removed from either ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' or its sequel. Gordon Freeman went through a number of designs (despite never being seen anywhere but on the boxart), including one with a large beard and bulky olive-green HEV suit that was nicknamed "Ivan the Space Biker" by the production staff. Several major gameplay elements such as AI allies and the gunships targeting the player's rockets were created by accident. Along with the usual array of scrapped monsters and level designs, various characters were taken out or [[CompositeCharacter combined into one]]. Alyx Vance was originally the daughter of a military leader, Captain Vance. When the area he appeared in, the Air Exchange, was cut, so too was the character and Alyx became Eli's daughter. Just a few weeks before the announcement of the game, Alyx was a generic videogame heroine, with "a two-toned bodysuit with knee-high boots" and Dr. Breen spent much of the development cycle half-transformed into a Combine alien. Compare the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCEQaMD8yj4 final attack on White Forest in the original]] to the retail battle.
** The leaked beta contains much of the concepts unfinished or not, everything from the unfinished version of Eli talking about portal storms as being sentient beings to Captain Vance and the remnants of Earth's forces fighting the Combine with weapons that aren't in the final game, quite a bit of the storyline for better or worse was streamlined, merged, or cut out entirely. Originally there was supposed to be another day's worth of levels between Nova Prospekt and the rebel attack on City 17 (for reference, the entire finished game took place over less than three), hence why those two points were bridged by the [[YearInsideHourOutside "very slow teleport"]] that could simultaneously send you back to City 17 and fill some time for the rebels to get their act together.

** ''The Orange Box'' originally was meant to come in two forms - while the version we got [[EmbeddedPrecursor included]] the already-released ''Half-Life 2'' and ''Episode One'' alongside the new ''Episode Two'', ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', and ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', there were plans to release a cut-down version, "The Black Box", which only included the new stuff for a reduced price. This ended up being scrapped, though Valve did try to make up for it by introducing a system to give away extra copies of ''[=HL2=]'' and ''[=Ep1=]'' if you already owned them, and still honoring third-party deals to get the Black Box, such as through vouchers included with Radeon's then-new HD 2900 graphics card.

*** The flashlight was originally meant to be an [[GunAccessories accessory]], only usable if the player had the Assault Rifle or Shotgun (which are visibly shown to have flashlights on their models) equipped. This was changed to be a helmet-mounted flashlight to avoid tedium, though it was late enough in development that the light still emits from your weapon, changing direction when reloading or [[PistolWhipping smacking Covenant in the face with it]].

*** Oh, and to top it all off, Bungie confessed that ''Halo 2'' and ''3'' were [[TwoPartTrilogy supposed to be one game]], which gives a plausible explanation as to why the latter was so short.

* When the licencing for ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' became available, Nintendo actually tried to get it. In an attempt to get the licence, they ended up suspending (and ultimately cancelling) production on ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer 64'', ''VideoGame/BionicCommando 64'' and ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}'' to do so. There were arguments on if they should either go with the British cover-style artwork or a more Japanese anime-styling. Ultimately, it proved for naught as Warner Brothers got the licence since they also included film and TV.

** Rumor has it that there are three characters in ''Future'' who were DummiedOut in the Japanese version, and had their files removed in the American and European releases. Their names were reportedly Wave, Numa, and Check. However, due to copies of the Japanese version being ''[[CrackIsCheaper even more expensive]]'' [[CrackIsCheaper than copies of the American version]] (by itself, not with ''Sega GT''), no one has been able to confirm this. [[http://jetsetradio.wikia.com/wiki/Jet_Set_Radio_Future Information on this can be found here]].

** The original plot was supposed to have all been a revenge plot set up by [[spoiler:the aforementioned FBI agent after he was forced to kill his family as they turned into Heaven Smiles]], utilizing a prediction machine called "Miss Jacob", whose probability of a correct prediction rose after each successful prediction and would, after 49 successful predictions, have a 1:1 chance of making a successful 50th prediction (even [[RealityWarper changing reality]] to accommodate it); as such he would be manipulating the appearances of the Heaven Smiles and the [=Killer7=]'s reactions to them, getting greater and greater probabilities from "Miss Jacob", in an attempt to use that guaranteed successful prediction to [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve force a source of the Heaven Smiles, the "Last Shot Smile", into existence]], so he could kill it and [[NoOntologicalInertia eradicate them entirely]]. The supplementary ''Hand in killer7'' material is still based on this version of the story, which is [[MindScrew part of what makes the actual game so confusing]].

** An interview with planner Akira Kitamura reveals that ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' was supposed to have an EasterEgg in [[LostWoods Wood Man's stage]], where shooting off an Atomic Fire blast would start a forest fire and cause all of the Battons nesting in the trees to fly away. This was scrapped before release, but the animated palette that was supposed to be used for the fire animation is still in the ROM.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' falls into this too. Keiji Inafune, the producer of the majority of the ''Mega Man'' series, originally created Zero as the main protagonist of the game; however, he eventually decided that Zero looked too different from the original Mega Man to be easily sympathized with by long-time ''Mega Man'' fans, so he turned Zero into X's somewhat cooler friend and mentor, delegating the authority of creating the true main character to someone else.
** ''X2'' was supposed to have a fourth, female member of the X-Hunters, but she, alongside a second form for one of the others, was scrapped due to technical limitations. They were also supposed to be called the "Four Guardians" before the cut was made; the name was reused in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series.
** After ''X5'', Inafune intended the series to end so he could begin with the ''Zero'' series, but Capcom executives released ''X6'' without his input just so they could continue to cash in. And that is the reason you don't mention [[TheScrappy Axl]] in hardcore ''MMX'' fan forums. Also, when the ''Zero'' series was being made, Inafune had to adjust his desired plot due to the continuing ''X'' series and ExecutiveMeddling. X was supposed to be the villain of the first game, changed to an imperfect clone. It was also going to delve into Zero's origin, but that was scrapped.

** Back when ''VideoGame/MegaMan Anniversary Collection'' was announced, there were going to be two versions - the console version we got and a handheld version for the Game Boy Advance that would bring back the five Game Boy ''Mega Man'' games. However, it's said that the games' original code was lost and thus the project was scrapped.
** For ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'', we could have gotten, [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:CementMan.jpg Cement Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:WeatherMan1.jpg Weather Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:OceanMan.jpg Ocean Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:PlasmaMan.jpg Plasma Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:DiamondMan.jpg Diamond Man]], [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:HoneyWoman.jpg Honey Woman]], and [[http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:SpaceMan.jpg Space Man]]. In other words, Splash Woman and Hornet Man ended up swapping genders during production.

* ''VideoGame/HeavenlyGuardian'' would have been a sequel to the classic Creator/{{Taito}} arcade game ''VideoGame/KikiKaiKai'', but after Taito got bought out by Creator/SquareEnix, Square Enix [[ScrewedByTheLawyers revoked the license]].