| 1 | {{Vaporware}} in video gaming. |
| 2 | ---------------------------------------------- |
| 3 | !!Specific Games |
| 4 | [[index]] |
| 5 | * [[Vaporware/VideoGamesAToM Games A-M]] |
| 6 | * [[Vaporware/VideoGamesNToZ Games N-Z]] |
| 7 | [[/index]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | !!Others |
| 10 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 11 | [[folder:Video Game Titles: Multiple-game Examples]] |
| 12 | * Vaporware is not a new phenomenon. Way back in the 8-bit computer days of 1984, ''Psyclapse'' and ''Bandersnatch'' (for the Platform/Commodore64 and the Platform/ZXSpectrum, respectively, although practically the same game) were in development for Imagine Software. Advertising promised much -- hardware dongles to support new features Never Seen Before on either system, and promoting the achievements of its outrageously large development team (of nine, nearly nine times the average for the time). Despite the hype, it eventually became clear that ''Psyclapse'' never got past the design stage, and ''Bandersnatch'' would need to sell for a ridiculous amount of money just to break even. By the time [[Creator/TheBBC the BBC]] arrived to film the spectacular successes of a Liverpool-based firm at the forefront of the then-upstart computer games industry, Imagine were absolutely in the toilet, and the BBC found themselves making [[http://youtu.be/ZoDh61sgCOg a cautionary tale about corporate excess]] that finished with the bailiffs arriving to repossess everything Imagine ever owned (and very nearly the BBC cameras, too). One of the splinter companies organized in the wake of Imagine's demise, Finchspeed, continued to develop ''Bandersnatch'', and a version for the Sinclair QL was allegedly completed but never released. Finally, the game was remade as ''Brataccas'' for the Platform/{{Amiga}}, Platform/AtariST and Platform/AppleMacintosh and published by Creator/{{Psygnosis}}, a new company that would also revive Psyclapse InNameOnly as a secondary publishing label. (Ocean Software likewise acquired the corporate name and associated trademarks of Imagine and assigned them to a development unit of its own.) ''Bandersnatch'' even inspired [[Film/BlackMirrorBandersnatch an interactive movie about struggling to develop a game]]. |
| 13 | ** Another notorious ZX Spectrum example was ''Series/StreetHawk'', a spin-off from a barely noticed American action TV show that suffered such severe delays that the software company had to give a completely different game with the same title to a magazine that they'd promised copies to for a subscription gift offer. |
| 14 | ** ''Scooby-Doo in the Castle Mystery'' was originally previewed in magazines as a ''VideoGame/DragonsLair''-like game for the Platform/ZXSpectrum. The publisher ultimately decided the original concept was technically unworkable, and so commissioned a simpler game using the same license. This inspired ''Crash Magazine''[='s=] "Scooby Award" for much-delayed games. |
| 15 | ** Music/SigueSigueSputnik's "Massive Retaliation" ends with an ad for an unreleased game: "Behold, the fifth generation of home computer entertainment. Get the Sigue Sigue Sputnik computer game from your favorite software house now." The game was mentioned in ''Computer and Video Games'' issue 60 and ''Commodore User'' issue 35, promising a September 1986 release date on the Platform/Commodore64, with plans for release on the Platform/ZXSpectrum and Platform/AmstradCPC. Tony Gibson and Mark Harrison created a Platform/Commodore64 demo, labelled "Media Wars", in hopes of finding a publisher, but the original disks were lost after being left at a friend's house, who threw them out after a flood. |
| 16 | ** The officially licensed ''Star Trek'' for the Platform/ZXSpectrum (not to be confused with its various ports of the VideoGame/StarTrekTextGame) became a RunningGag in magazines like ''Sinclair User'' for its persistent failure to be released. It never did make it to the Spectrum, though as ''[[http://www.mobygames.com/game/star-trek-the-rebel-universe Star Trek: The Rebel Universe]]'' it did show up on the Commodore 64, Atari ST and PC. |
| 17 | * 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 MediaNotes/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. |
| 18 | * Over the years, there have been a major number of Anime-related games that attempted to cross over to the US, but failed. |
| 19 | ** There were plans to release games based on ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' and it was advertised in the 1990s release of the anime. It would have been for all systems and each one would have gone a different route (Genesis would have been multi-genre, the Super NES would have just been sidescrolling, Game Boy would have been just a DolledUpInstallment), but THQ bought the company making it, Black Pearl, and killed it. |
| 20 | ** There were two attempts to make a ''Anime/KimbaTheWhiteLion'' game, one for the NES and another for the Nintendo 64. Both were oddly cancelled. |
| 21 | ** ''Macross VF-X2'': The cancelled Platform/PlayStation North American localization was to include English voice acting and an exclusive mecha. |
| 22 | ** There was supposed to have been a game based on ''Anime/{{Trigun}}'' for the Platform/PlayStation2 by Sega. Not much was said about it beyond a simple ad. |
| 23 | ** Tecmo created an MMORPG based on ''Manga/Bastard1988''. It got as far as the beta stage before it got cancelled. |
| 24 | ** Toho planned to release the fighting game ''Ranma ½ II: Anything Goes Martial Arts'' for the SNES, the cancelled localization of ''Ranma ½: Chougi Rambuhen''. |
| 25 | ** In 2005, Bandai planned to release ''Anime/CowboyBebop: Serenade of Remembrance'' to the States after releasing it in Japan. In 2006, everything was dropped about it and a Bandai rep admitted it thought it would be a waste of time. Fun fact: the image on the CowboyBebopAtHisComputer trope page came from that game. |
| 26 | * Creator/BullfrogProductions was working on several games that were cancelled due to Creator/ElectronicArts buying them up: ''Creation'', ''Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld'', ''Genesis: The Hand of God'', ''The Indestructibles'', ''Theme Movie Studio'', ''Theme Resort'', and ''Void Star''. |
| 27 | ** ''Theme Movie Studio'' had a happy ending tho- somewhat. After several ''Creator/BullfrogProductions'' developers left the EA subsidiary to form Creator/LionheadStudios, they took the concept of the game with them and that became VideoGame/TheMovies. Whether Lionhead's publisher Activision mistreated the franchise is subjective. |
| 28 | * Some games based on Creator/ImageComics were advertised but not released. A ''ComicBook/Gen13'' game was announced for [=PlayStation=], N64 and Saturn. A ''ComicBook/{{Shadowhawk}}'' game on the SNES was not released, though prototypes have been found. ''[[ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics Youngblood: Search And Destroy]]'' was announced for [=PlayStation=] and PC, and was not released, though the PC version's demo is available. |
| 29 | * A third ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'' game and a sequel to ''VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves'' were apparently in development when {{Creator/SNK}} collapsed in 2001. |
| 30 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'' series has a few of these: |
| 31 | ** The Platform/SegaGenesis version of ''VideoGame/LufiaAndTheFortressOfDoom'', which was advertised with a delay ("It's worth the wait!"), but never released. The same company assigned to develop this port was [[http://opa-ages.com/forums/topic/74650-prototype-of-a-playstation-game-i-worked-on-in-1994/ also working on]] two other never-release games for Creator/{{Taito}}: ''Brimstone'' for the Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and ''Farstar'' for the Platform/PlayStation. |
| 32 | ** ''Lufia: Ruins Chaser'' for the Sony Platform/PlayStation, cancelled due to the bankruptcy of its developer. (Ideas from that game were used in ''Lufia: The Legend Returns'', which was developed by the same developer, Neverland, as the first two games in the series and the second's [[VideoGameRemake reimagining]].) |
| 33 | ** ''Lufia: Beginning of a Legend'' for the Platform/GameBoyColor, originally in development alongside ''Ruins Chaser''. (Unlike Ruins Chaser, the ideas used in this game were scrapped entirely rather than handed to Neverland.) |
| 34 | * The equivalents of ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'' in the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' [[GameMod modding]] community are ''Mordeth'' Episode 2 and ''Millennium''. ''Mordeth'' in particular is so notorious for this that the Cacowards' "longest development time" award is named the "Mordeth Award" in its honor. |
| 35 | * Several Maxis games were unreleased. |
| 36 | ** ''[=SimCity=]'' on the SNES started developed as a ''[=SimCity=]'' game on the NES, which was not released, although a prototype has surfaced and is playable. |
| 37 | ** Though ''[=SimCity 3000=]'' was released in 1999 as a 2D followup to ''[=SimCity 2000=]'', the game was previewed as a full 3D game. This version was not released. |
| 38 | ** ''[=SimMars=]'', planned to be released around 2000, was previewed on the CD for ''[=SimCity 3000=]''; the game was canceled, though ''The Sims: Vacation'' references a ''[=SimMars=]'' arcade game. |
| 39 | ** ''[=SimsVille=]'', planned to be released around 2001, was previewed on the CD for ''[=SimCity 3000 Unlimited=]'' and ''The Sims: Livin' Large'', and was canceled, with some features included in ''The Sims: Hot Date'', ''The Sims 2'', ''The Sims 3'', ''[=MySims=]'', and ''[=SimCity 4=]''. |
| 40 | ** ''[=MySims Social=]'' was going to be a Facebook social game, like the defunct ''The Sims Social'' and ''[=SimCity Social=]'' games, and was canceled. |
| 41 | ** The ''Sims'' console game, ''The Urbz: Sims in the City'', was planned to be a series of around three games, with an eventual PC port. ''The Urbz 2'', planned for release on [=PlayStation 2=], Gamecube and Xbox, had its development moved to the [=PlayStation 3=], Xbox 360 and Wii, and was canceled. The [=PlayStation 2=] version of ''[=The Sims 2=]'' uses ''The Urbz 2'' engine, and assets can be found on the game disc. |
| 42 | ** Most elusive and controversial of all was of course ''[=SimRefinery=]'', which was being produced in collaboration with Chevron. An early alpha of the game was finally found and leaked into the internet in early 2020. |
| 43 | * PC games that use mods will often fall under this trope at some point. Usually, the modder or a team of modders will get a bit too ambitious in their work and give up trying to complete the mod or real life issues pop up that prevent them from finishing their work. It is not unheard of to see mods with great potential that won't ever see the light of day. |
| 44 | * Not even {{Game Maker}}s are safe! In the [=MegaZeux=] community, the general rule is that if someone publishes a demo of their game, that game will never be released. Period. This trend is popularly known as the [[http://www.digitalmzx.net/wiki/index.php?title=Demo_curse demo curse]] and came about due to the scope of any given [=MegaZeux=] game growing too big for its designer(s) to handle when the engine was new compared to a smaller game made in its more limited spiritual predecessor ''VideoGame/{{ZZT}}''. Among its best-known victims are ''A Death Beyond Imagination'', ''Honor Quest 2'', and ''Weirdness'' (by the creator of [=MegaZeux=] herself, who released only the first chapter before leaving the community.) |
| 45 | ** The most infamous of them all, however, is most likely the [=MegaZeux=] port of the ZZT game ''[[https://museumofzzt.com/file/s/sivion.zip Sivion]]'', which was hyped to the point that its author included digs at ZZT's obsolescence compared to [=MegaZeux=] ''in the ZZT version'', and created a (mostly) [[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=1299 non-interactive slide show]] with breathless narration about how the [=MegaZeux=] version would be so much bigger and more exciting than the ZZT version. In the end, all that came out of this enthusiasm was [[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=1712 a demo with barely anything in it]] and [[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=465 an unfinished prototype]]. |
| 46 | ** More notable cases include Autumn Dreams' ''[[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=101 Xenogenesis]]'' and Draconic Creations' ''[[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=190 The Dark Corner]]'', both of which are compilations of demos for the companies' games, with the former including another demo of the aforementioned ''Sivion'' remake. With a scant few exceptions (including ''[[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=681 Darkness II]]'', ''[[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=272 Honor Quest: Special Edition]]'' and ''[[https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=1 Bernard the Bard]]''), none of these games were ever completed, marking them as ''en masse'' cases of the demo curse. |
| 47 | * The Nintendo 64's path through history was littered by the emaciated bodies of partially developed games. Some, like ''{{Anime/Robotech}}: Crystal Dreams'', ''Franchise/FireEmblem 64'' ([[http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/Fire_Emblem:_Ankoku_no_Miko also known]] as ''Ankoku no Miko'' aka ''Maiden of Darkness''), ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars 64 Wars]]'' and the above ''[[VideoGame/Mother3 Earthbound 64]]'', simply collapsed under their own weight and died. Others, like efforts toward a [=3D=] ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' game and sequel to ''Mario 64'', produced various side-projects in lieu of their originally intended design. In fact, the [=N64=] was ''legendary'' for this sort of thing, with games supposed to be launch titles stuck in development for years afterwards (''Body Harvest'', ''Mission: Impossible'') and swapping between multiple development teams, executive meddling, and ultimately numerous cancellations. None of this helped the flagging fortunes of the system as gamers frustrated by the long software droughts often abandoned Nintendo for the more reliable [=PlayStation=] lineup. Remember ''Freak Boy''? No? Didn't think so. |
| 48 | * ''Creator/ObsidianEntertainment'' had announced several projects being developed concurrently which were not published, including a prequel to ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' known as ''Dwarves'', ''Futureblight'', and the Xbox One third person open world RPG ''Stormlands'', known as project ''North Carolina''. ''Aliens: Crucible'' was going to be an ''Film/AlienS'' RPG, but SEGA chose to publish ''VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines'' instead. |
| 49 | * The ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'' remake/sequel is a really odd case. The Japanese release of the game was canned, but the game did make it into worldwide markets as a DolledUpInstallment featuring ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' characters. Japan (and regrettably, [[NoExportForYou only Japan]]) would get what the game was originally intended to be one generation later in ''Nintendo Puzzle Collection''. |
| 50 | * Creator/{{Rare}} picked up quite a few of these, especially in the heyday of the N64 and [=GameCube=] era. |
| 51 | ** ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' never received a port for the Nintendo 64, despite being advertised in the arcade machine's attract mode. The SNES port of ''Killer Instinct 2'' was never released. ''Killer Instinct 3'' was planned for the arcade and N64 but was cancelled to focus on developing ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' and ''VideoGame/TwelveTalesConker64'', the game that became ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay''. |
| 52 | ** ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' was originally designed to be a cute, ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' type platformer named "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEuFNl4s9yI Conker's Quest]]", just like ''Conker's Pocket Tales'' for Game Boy Color. They then revamped the game, and changed it to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNuIKBgZMcw "Twelve Tales: Conker 64"]], in which it was more of a ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon''-type platformer. In the end, Rare got aggravated about the complaints of ''VideoGame/TwelveTalesConker64'' looking [[SweetnessAversion childish]] and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks too similar]] to ''Banjo-Kazooie'', and ended up [[MidDevelopmentGenreShift changing the game and its story completely]], such as aging up Conker from a child to an alcoholic adult and [[AvoidTheDreadedGRating avoiding the E rating altogether]]. Thus, making the ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'' we know today. |
| 53 | ** Conker would ''once again'' have trouble with this as a sequel for the [=GameCube=] was announced but cancelled. In the sequel, ''Conker's Other Bad Day'' or ''Conker: Gettin' Medieval'', it was planned that Conker did so horribly as king (he squandered the treasury's worth of moolah for parties, beer and hookers to a point of bankruptcy) that he was thrown in the dungeon and had to escape, ball and chain in tow, back to his throne. The sequel was cancelled by Microsoft in favor of ''Kinect Sports''. Also, another draft of the sequel was going to have Conker killed as early as the first scene in friendly fire. |
| 54 | ** ''Donkey Kong Racing'', a racing game slated for the [=GameCube=] that would focus on the entire Kong family and would have you riding on animals instead of vehicles. It was canned once Rareware was bought out by MS. |
| 55 | ** Due to the cancellation of the "[=McLaren=]" Windows Phone, featuring gesture technology, a ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' style mobile game, ''TJ Combo Boxing'', was cancelled, along with the games ''Fragments'' and ''[[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Young Conker]]''. |
| 56 | ** And before they were Rare, they were Ultimate Play The Game on the ZX Spectrum; the endings of ''Knight Lore'', ''Pentagram'' and ''Underwurlde'' all hinted at the imminent release of ''Mire Mare''... rumours abound, but the most widely accepted theory is that it was at most half-finished and subsequently abandoned when Ultimate were partially taken over by US Gold. |
| 57 | * Three games based on ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' were announced by Parker Bros. for the Platform/Atari2600, but they only released one, ''Death Star Battle'', before abandoning video games due to MediaNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. A prototype of "Game I" (also known as ''Ewok Adventure'') was discovered, but the second game, whose concept art suggests being based on the Battle of Sarlacc's Pit, appears to have never been programmed. Other unreleased titles announced by Parker Bros. included ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings: Journey to Rivendell'', ''[=McDonald's=]'', ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'', and a ''Franchise/JamesBond'' game based on the TraintopBattle from ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''; prototypes of the first two have emerged. |
| 58 | * Freeware developer [[VideoGame/{{Seiklus}} tapeworm]] has been working on ''Velella'' for nearly five years, and ''Avaus'' for three. On his site, he mentioned he wants to have ''Avaus'' done by the end of 2007, then struck it through and appended 2008. Both years, of course, have long since passed. |
| 59 | * Creator/{{Sierra}}: |
| 60 | ** Plans to continue with VGA remakes of previous titles, including ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' ''[[VideoGame/KingsQuestIIRomancingTheThrone II]]'' & ''[[VideoGame/KingsQuestIIIToHeirIsHuman III]]'', were cancelled when sales of their released VGA remakes did not meet expectations. |
| 61 | ** A proposed version of ''Mask of Eternity'' by Davidson and Associates was going to be a more non-violent version of the game. |
| 62 | ** When ''Mask of Eternity'' was being developed, Roberta Williams discussed concepts for ''King's Quest IX'', including being a multiplayer or MMO adventure; the project was not further developed. Ideas included Connor starring in the series; King Graham would be older and unable to go on further adventures, and Alexander would be busy as king of the Green Isles. Connor would meet Rosella, forming an eventual love triangle between Connor, Rosella and Edgar. In-game, Connor and Rosella could swap items, helping each other in solving puzzles and fighting monsters together. |
| 63 | ** Along with ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'', Vivendi Games planned to release more InNameOnly console action titles. ''King's Quest'' would be a console action game with King Graham wielding a huge sword, wearing armor, and doing flips. ''Space Quest'' by Escape Factory was to be an Platform/XBox[=/=][[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] action platformer. |
| 64 | ** Another ''King's Quest'' was being developed by Silicon Knights on the Unreal Engine. |
| 65 | ** Creator/TelltaleGames was going to release an episodic ''King's Quest'' series. |
| 66 | ** ''Space Quest 7'' was planned to be 3D with a multiplayer mode. The project was put on hold, restarted, then cancelled. |
| 67 | ** Cancelled ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' games include the 3D ''Leisure Suit Larry 8: Lust in Space'', ''Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party'' for the Platform/NGage by TKO-Software, and ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'' sequel ''Leisure Suit Larry: Cocoa Butter'' for PC, [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] and Platform/XBox. |
| 68 | ** Al Lowe had plans to remake the rest of the Sierra-era Larry games had the first remake sold well. Sadly, it didn't, which lead to Lowe parting ways with the publisher instead, leaving the rest of the planned remakes in the air. |
| 69 | ** ''VideoGame/TorinsPassage'' was to be a ''series'', on the level of Creator/{{Sierra}}'s adventure "____ Quest" series. Knowing this, some of the stuff you see in the game makes a ''lot'' more sense. |
| 70 | ** Al Lowe was working on a satire game called ''Capitol Punishment'' that took shots at American politicians. He canceled the game because of technical issues. |
| 71 | ** ''Captives'' was a game advertised in Sierra's [=InterAction=] magazine, but never released. It was about the PC playing a mercenary rescuing hostages held captives by aliens. Saving different types of hostages would wield different benefits. Soldiers would give you extra firepower, scientists would research better weapons for you. There was also armed vehicles you could temporary use. |
| 72 | * ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'': |
| 73 | ** ''Ultima IV: Part II'' would have been a sequel to ''VideoGame/UltimaIV'' (1986). |
| 74 | ** ''Multi-player Ultima'' would have been an eight-to-sixteen-player multiplayer strategy game released in 1986-1987. The concept of a multiplayer Ultima game was later revisited in ''Multima'', a multiplayer game using the ''VideoGame/UltimaVI'' engine, but that was canceled too. |
| 75 | ** ''Mythos'' was to be a precursor to ''Worlds of Ultima'' using the ''Ultima VI'' engine. It would have featured Caribbean pirates and a Greek-inspired setting and was set to be released around 1990. |
| 76 | ** ''Arthurian Legends'' would have been either the third game in the ''Worlds of Ultima'' series, or a standalone game. It would have used the ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'' engine and, as the name implied, it would be set in a Camelot-type setting. |
| 77 | ** ''Ultima Underworld III'' would have featured a new world and protagonist, and would have been released sometime around 1993-1995. |
| 78 | ** ''VideoGame/UltimaVIIPartII'' was released with quests and scripts cut and DummiedOut content. The cat island, Claw, was supposed to have a [[VideoGame/WingCommander Kilrathi]] pilot crash land on the island and be worshipped as a cat god. |
| 79 | ** ''Ultima VIII: The Lost Vale'' was a cancelled expansion for ''VideoGame/UltimaVIII'' that would address the Zealan sub-plot, and what was behind the double doors in the Plateau. |
| 80 | ** ''Ultima Online 2'' was developed as a sequel to ''Ultima Online'', and would have been a 3D "2nd generation MMORPG" to compete with ''VideoGame/EverQuest'', ''VideoGame/AsheronsCall'' and ''VideoGame/DarkAgeOfCamelot'' and would have been released sometime around 2000-2001. The game had similar features to early ''VideoGame/StarWarsGalaxies'', sharing the same designers, and was later titled ''Ultima Worlds Online: Origin'', then cancelled. Some themes of sci-fi mixed with dark fantasy were later used in the ''Technocrat War'' novelization trilogy and the ''Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge'' expansion, as [=Todd McFarlane=] had already developed concept art for the game, and a short preview was shown in ''VideoGame/UltimaIX''. |
| 81 | ** ''Ultima X: Odyssey'' would have been an MMORPG on the Unreal engine, set on the world of Alucinor continuing where ''Ultima IX'' left off. It would have been released in 2004 and had more cartoonish graphics and a virtue system. |
| 82 | ** ''Ultima Resurrection'' would have been a hack n' slash game for the PSP released around 2005-2006. |
| 83 | * Valve has a habit of this. What makes them notorious for their extremely long delays is their demand for perfection in their games, as they stated in the commentary for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. Basically, unless they are happy with how the game is coming out, they will not release it[[note]]And that's ''if'' they're working on it. Since Valve seems to have nebulous working habits where programmers can switch jobs, it's likely they won't be working on any old games, like say ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' or ''[[VideoGame/Left4Dead2 L4D2]]'', when something new comes along leaving a skeleton crew to keep the game(s) running (but growing increasingly stale) while more popular games such as ''VideoGame/Dota2'' or new programs such as the Vive get all of the love.[[/note]]: |
| 84 | ** ''Half-Life Gold'' (''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' with the High-Definition Pack and ''Blue Shift'' expansion) was set to come out on the Platform/SegaDreamcast. It was even featured on the cover of [=GamePro=] and had a strategy guide to Blue Shift. But due to an announcement by Sega that they would be ending production and support of the Dreamcast, the game was never commercially released. The game was eventually leaked onto the Internet, and outside of having LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading, it appears to be otherwise complete. |
| 85 | ** ''Half-Life 2: Episode Three'' or possibly by now, ''Half-Life 3'': Originally with a release date of Christmas 2007, there's been no trace of it since then. Valve outright refuses to say anything about the game and hardly acknowledges the series exists at all, even going so far as to ignore the [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]] of the series in November 2018. [[https://www.pcgamesn.com/half-life-3/half-life-3-release-date-story-gameplay-art Leaks have confirmed]] that the game has entered development, been cancelled, and started over several times, with many Valve employees being so exhausted by the development cycle that they no longer want to work on it. It doesn't help that in March 2015, founder Gabe Newell has more or less confirmed [[http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/18/8253189/gabe-newell-valve-half-life none of Valve's senior staff actually want to devote the company's efforts and time to focused single-player game development]]. And with the news of Half-Life chief writer Marc Laidlaw's retirement from the company at the start of 2016 as well as co-writer Chet Faliszek's resignation in mid-2017, it was believed that the game had been quietly shelved altogether in favor of Steam and hardware development. However, the 2020 release of ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'' ''finally'' confirmed some sort of follow-up to Episode 2's ending, revitalizing the community's hope for the end of the trilogy. |
| 86 | ** Valve promised that ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' would receive frequent updates like ''Team Fortress 2''. After seeing all the problems in the gameplay that ''Left 4 Dead'' had and what needed to be fixed, Valve most likely would have to change and patch so many things that they believed it would be better to release a sequel that addresses all the issues. Fans naturally reminded Valve daily about the promise that was broken. |
| 87 | * Most Platform/VirtualBoy games. It was actually going to have a ''VideoGame/StarFox'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' game. The Virtual Boy had a number of unreleased games: |
| 88 | ** A ''3D Tank'' game by Boss Game Studios, similar to ''VideoGame/{{Battlezone|1980}}''. |
| 89 | ** ''Bound High!'' by Japan Supply System, a 3D action puzzle game starring Chalvo, the bouncing robot. |
| 90 | ** ''{{VideoGame/Donkey Kong Country 2|DiddysKongQuest}}'' was going to be released on the Virtual Boy. |
| 91 | ** A ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' game by Epoch, based on the manga ''Doraemon: World of Fairies''. |
| 92 | ** ''Dragon Hopper'', a 3D action adventure starring Dorin the dragon. |
| 93 | ** A ''Faceball'' game by Bullet-Proof Software, known in Japan as ''[=NicoChan Battle=]'' or ''Niko-Chan Battle''. |
| 94 | ** A ''{{VideoGame/GoldenEye|1997}}'' rail shooter or racing game. |
| 95 | ** ''Interceptor'', ''Proteus Zone'', ''Star Seed'', ''Strange Animal School'', and ''Sundays Point'' by Coconuts Japan Entertainment. |
| 96 | ** ''J-league 3D Stadium'' or ''J League 3D Stage'', a soccer game, and ''Out of Deathmount'' or ''Out of the Deathmount'', a shooter or adventure game by J-Wing. |
| 97 | ** A ''Mahjong'' game by Vap. |
| 98 | ** ''Mansion of Insmouse'', a localization of ''Insmouse No Yakata'' by Be Top. |
| 99 | ** ''Videogame/MarioClash'' was going to be ''Mario Bros. VB'', and started as a minigame in the cancelled ''VB Mario Land'', known as ''Mario Adventure''. |
| 100 | ** A ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' game, ''Mario Kart Virtual Cup''. |
| 101 | ** A ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' game. |
| 102 | ** ''Night Landing'' by POW. |
| 103 | ** ''Polygo Block'', a Japanese version of ''3D Tetris''. |
| 104 | ** ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo2''. |
| 105 | ** ''Shin Nihon Pro Wrestling Gekitou Densetsu'' by Tomy, a wrestling game. |
| 106 | ** ''Signal Tatto''. |
| 107 | ** ''Sora Tobu Henry''. |
| 108 | ** ''VI Racer'', a racing game. |
| 109 | ** ''Virtual Battle Ball'' by Hect. |
| 110 | ** ''Virtual Block'' by Bottom Up, a 3D ''VideoGame/{{Breakout}}''-style game. |
| 111 | ** ''Virtual Bomberman'', a 3D ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' game. |
| 112 | ** The ''VideoGame/StarFox'' game ''[=Virtual Boy StarFox=]''. |
| 113 | ** ''Virtual Dodgeball'' by Hect. |
| 114 | ** ''Virtual Double Yakuman'', part of the ''Double Yakuman'' series. |
| 115 | ** ''Virtual Fishing''. |
| 116 | ** ''Virtual Gunman'', a ''VideoGame/VirtuaCop''-style FPS by Victor. |
| 117 | ** ''Virtual Jockey'', a jockey game by Right Stuff. |
| 118 | ** ''Virtual Pro Baseball '95'' and the localization, ''Virtual League Baseball''. |
| 119 | ** ''Wangan Sensen Red City'' by Asmik and AJN. |
| 120 | ** A ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' game. |
| 121 | ** The ''VideoGame/FZero'' game ''Zero Racers''. |
| 122 | * ''VideoGame/XCom'' games ''Genesis'' and ''Alliance'' were eagerly expected after years of development, but given the various studio shifts that Microprose suffered at the time, they were permanently delayed/cancelled. |
| 123 | * This is OlderThanTheNES: the numerous never-released games for the Platform/{{Colecovision}} are pretty close. Some games, like ''Chess Challenger'' and ''Mr. Turtle'', were advertised on the system's box, but never saw release, most likely due to the end of the system's production run in 1984. |
| 124 | * The developer Zoonami is infamous for this. The studio was founded in 2000, and hyped up to be a major third-party publisher for Nintendo, but its two major projects (a FPS for the [=GameCube=] called ''Game Zero'' and the rhythm game ''Funkydilla'') were announced but never released. |
| 125 | * The ''VideoGame/ZooTycoon 2'' user-made extension pack "Cretaceous Calamity" was announced years ago and still has no release date. Both that particular UXP and the others by the same group (Mysterious Map Marvels) have a history of trouble and delays. |
| 126 | ** There have been hundreds of [=UXPs=] announced for Zoo Tycoon 2, but only roughly five or six [=UXPs=] ever released. |
| 127 | * Golgoth Studio was a French developer founded in 2008 that started with pretty ambitious projects: HD [[VideoGameRemake remakes]] of ''VideoGame/JoeAndMac'' and ''VideoGame/{{Toki}}'', both supposed to come out in 2010. Every mention of ''Joe and Mac'' was quickly removed from their site after nothing more than a couple of character designs was shown, and the Toki remake suffered the same fate: after about five years of promises, they just pulled the plug and removed their whole website. The only game they ever released was the mediocre ''Magical Drop V'' for Windows. However, the Toki remake was eventually SavedFromDevelopmentHell by Microids, 10 years after the initial announcement. |
| 128 | * Creator/OceanSoftware had a French subsidiary that specialized in porting MediaNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s to the Platform/{{Amiga}} and Platform/AtariST. Ocean France's ports of such games as ''VideoGame/{{Cabal}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Pang}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Toki}}'' were generally well-received, and ''Zero'' #19 included previews of their upcoming ST/Amiga ports of ''VideoGame/HammerinHarry'', ''Liquid Kids'' and ''VideoGame/SnowBros''. At least the Amiga versions of the latter two were completed, yet Ocean, apparently due to licensing problems, decided to cancel all of them and close Ocean France. The Amiga versions of ''Liquid Kids'' and ''Snow Bros'' were unearthed and leaked onto the Internet many years later. |
| 129 | * Creator/{{Psygnosis}}, somewhere in between the Sony buyout and the launch of the Platform/PlayStation, canceled most of their upcoming [[Platform/SegaGenesis Mega Drive]] games. |
| 130 | ** The developers of ''Res-Q'' soon leaked copies of their otherwise unreleased game. A prototype of ''Bill's Tomato Game'', ported from the Platform/{{Amiga}} by the same team, was later recovered. |
| 131 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Whizz}}'' ended up being released on the Amiga by Flair after Psygnosis dropped it, followed by multiple console ports, but not the Mega Drive version, which was supposedly the original. |
| 132 | ** Another amiga game was Superhero [[https://www.indieretronews.com/2015/08/unreleased-amiga-game-superhero-gets.html cancelled du to varos issues]]. |
| 133 | ** Another Mega Drive game Psygnosis chose not to release was Digital Illusions' all-but-finished ''Hardcore'', whose Amiga version was also canceled. Later on it was released as ''Ultracore''. |
| 134 | * Before focusing entirely on ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', developer Retro Studios was working on four [=GameCube=] titles: ''NFL Retro Football'', ''Car Combat'' or ''Thunder Rally'', ''Raven Blade'', and the tentatively titled ''Action-Adventure''. The engine behind ''Action-Adventure'' would be re-used for ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime''. |
| 135 | * More than half of the games announced by Scavenger, Inc. were never published, no thanks to a shoddy distribution deal with GT Interactive that helped push the company into bankruptcy. Their unreleased games include ''4x4 Frenzy'', ''Heavy Machinery'', ''Into the Shadows'', ''Mudkicker'' and ''Tarantula''. |
| 136 | * The abrupt closure of Creator/TelltaleGames put all of their games in development at the time into development limbo, including the second seasons of ''VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs'' and ''VideoGame/GameOfThronesTelltale'', as well as a game based off ''Series/StrangerThings''. |
| 137 | * Since the advent of online naval combat games involving depictions and/or {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of real-life naval vessels from UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne and UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo, there has been one specific ship that has been continually teased across multiple games, but has not (so far) graced the limelight as of late: the Aircraft Carrier ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_aircraft_carrier_Shinano Shinano]]'', at least to the following games: |
| 138 | ** ''VideoGame/KanColle'' was the earliest of the naval battle-themed games to tease the inclusion of her shipgirl form in its growing roster, with its primary developer Kadokawa having already released Alpha Art of her in supplementary materials ''[[http://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/2312428 way back in 2013]]''. Unfortunately, she has yet to make her appearance as of mid-2023. Coupled with the successive debut of foreign Navies (currently at Seven, the latest being both the Australian Navy and the Dutch Navy via the 2019 Fall Event), and the introduction of more unique ship variants like the coastal defense ships and escort carriers, for starters, the wait is expected to become longer. |
| 139 | ** ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarships'', meanwhile, had intended to introduce the virtual form of the actual ship (probably as how she was supposed to look like completed), but had to forego her in favor of the current Tier-X Hakuryu from the Closed Beta Testing onward. Problems with Shinano's Alpha form arose from the fact that she was a CV carrying the same tanky ''Yamato-class'' hull, which meant that a lot of ships had trouble taking her down in the process. |
| 140 | ** [=KanColle's=] current main competitor ''VideoGame/AzurLane'' once had the same problem, as its developers have teased Shinano's inclusion in the game, thanks to data mining done by fans; they have also made her an important, albeit off-screen, character in the Swirling Cherry Blossom event. That all changed on the game's celebration of its Japanese Servers' 3rd Anniversary, when they finally introduced her as the game's very first Ultra-Rare outside of blueprint ships and retrofits of existing ships (Warspite and San Diego.) |
| 141 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bemani}}'' is no stranger to titles failing to manifest. |
| 142 | ** ''RAP FREAKS'' was announced for arcades in 1999, but silently cancelled later that year. It would have had players put on gloves to hit pads on the machine and clap in time with the music. |
| 143 | ** A fourth ''Keyboardmania'' title had been tentatively announced in 2002 as a [=PlayStation=] 2 exclusive title, but nothing ever came of it. |
| 144 | ** Press releases between 2003 and 2004 indicated that Konami was planning on releasing home versions of ''VideoGame/{{Beatmania}}'' ''[=7thMIX=]'' and ''THE FINAL'' as one package for the [=PS2=]. They never did. |
| 145 | ** ''VideoGame/KaraokeRevolution: BEMANI Series Selection'' was to be a Japan-only game featuring exclusively songs from the ''VideoGame/{{Bemani}}'' franchise. Despite [[https://web.archive.org/web/20050318020133/http://www.konamistyle.com/customfactory/karaoke-revolution_bemani/ an impressive 70-song track list]], the game was cancelled in 2005 due to lack of interest. |
| 146 | ** ''Otoiroha'' was a rhythm game shown off at the Japan Amusement Expo 2016 that featured a touch screen and panels that could be slid up and down the cabinet, similar to ''VideoGame/SoundVoltex'''s analog dials. After its one location test, nothing was heard of the game for about a year; in late January 2017, its website was pulled from Konami's [=eAMUSE=] portal site. At JAEPO [[note]][[FunWithAcronyms Japanese Amusement Expo]] -- essentially the arcade equivalent of Tokyo Game Show[[/note]] 2017, it was stated that while the game isn't officially canceled, development is on hold and they're unsure whether or not to continue. No news about it has come out ever since. |
| 147 | ** ''Rizminance'' [[note]]also known as ''Saikyo DJ Anikurage''[[/note]], a ''VideoGame/{{Bemani}}'' arcade game with a soundtrack consisting of anime song remixes/covers, dropped off even harder than ''Otoiroha'' did. The game received two location tests in September and November of 2018, but doesn't even have so much as a teaser page up on Konami's website. It was totally absent at JAEPO 2019, with no mention of the game beyond some of its remixes being brought to ''VideoGame/{{Jubeat}}''. The hardware used for the game's machines would go on to be repurposed for ''NEW pop'n music: Welcome to Wonderland!'', which also seems to not be coming -- more details below. |
| 148 | ** ''NEW VideoGame/PopnMusic: Welcome to Wonderland!'' was shown off at JAEPO 2020. In addition to recycling hardware from ''Rizminance'', the game featured smaller buttons, a touchscreen, and a completely new art style. It was never seen again after this expo, and ''pop'n'' games released ever since have steered clear of implementing anything shown in this game. |
| 149 | ** "ULTIMATE MOBILE" versions of ''VideoGame/{{Beatmania}} IIDX'', ''VideoGame/SoundVoltex'', and ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' were announced in 2019, but the only one to be released was ''beatmania IIDX''. After four years of no information on the other two, they were officially cancelled in 2023. |
| 150 | * ''Franchise/MegaMan'': |
| 151 | ** ''{{VideoGame/Mega Man|Classic}} Anniversary Collection'' for the Platform/GameBoyAdvance would have collected ''MM'''s five original Game Boy adventures. One speculation was that creator Capcom had lost the source code for the original games. Eventually, Capcom declared it too expensive to produce, and that the GBA was in decline anyway. |
| 152 | ** ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends 3'' wound up being [[http://www.capcom-unity.com/devroom/blog/2011/07/18/a_message_from_capcom unceremoniously cancelled in July 2011]], after a promising start from positive fan reception, eventually culminating in Capcom's own disappointment in the project, without even releasing the prototype/prologue that was supposed to be used to judge whether the final game would sell. |
| 153 | ** ''Mega Man Universe'' was another ''Mega Man'' title cancelled around the same time as ''Mega Man Legends 3''. It would have been a 2D sidescroller with a level creator in the vein of ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'', and would have allowed you to customize your Mega Man's appearance as well as play as other characters (i.e. Bad Box Art Mega Man and Ryu from Franchise/StreetFighter). Capcom cancelled the game citing poor reception from testers. |
| 154 | ** ''Rockman Online'', a Korean ''Franchise/MegaMan'' MMORPG that was announced in 2010. It was ultimately cancelled in 2013 after developer Neowiz underwent internal restructuring. |
| 155 | ** ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce 4'' started development after the release of the third game, but the poor sales of ''Star Force 3'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork1 Operate Shooting Star]]'', the latter of which [[NoExportForYou never even made it out of Japan]], led to the game being shelved early in development. It would have featured Geo as well as a new character named Kazuma, a descendant of Lan and Mayl from the ''Battle Network'' series. |
| 156 | ** ''Rockman XZ: Time Rift'' was a crossover between the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX X]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]'' series developed by [=NebulaJoy=], the company responsible for ''VideoGame/MegaManXDive'' in the US and the UK. A few screenshots as well as a teaser trailer were leaked by sources in the company, but layoffs at [=NebulaJoy=] amidst the underperformance of their other games outside of Asia leaves its future uncertain. |
| 157 | ** Creator/IntiCreates was working on a third ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' game at one point, codenamed ''ZXC'', but the project was canned and some of the developers were transfered to work on ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' instead. |
| 158 | * ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'', among many others, were at one point meant to be released on the Platform/GameCom, believe it or not. We only know of their existence through screenshots from magazine previews and toy catalogues. None of these saw the light of day, though a near final version of ''Symphony of the Night'' running on the Game.com surfaced in late 2022. |
| 159 | [[/folder]] |
| 160 | |
| 161 | [[folder:Video Game Titles: Unofficial Video Games]] |
| 162 | * ''Chrono Trigger Resurrection'' (later renamed ''Chrono Resurrection'') was a fully-3D remake of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. It became vaporware after being given a cease-and-desist by Square-Enix. Only a demo portion of the start of the game was ever released. A later fan project was ''Chrono Trigger: VideoGame/CrimsonEchoes'', with 35 hours of gameplay and eleven endings. This game was also abandoned due to a cease and desist. |
| 163 | * ''Crash Bandicoot: Crystal's Wrath'' is a ''Crash Bandicoot'' fan-game that has been overhauled several times over the span of 4+ years. It was originally a ''Twinsanity''-style open world platformer but has since changed into a 2D.5 sidescroller. |
| 164 | * The two Indiana Jones fangames ''Indiana Jones and the Crown of Solomon'' and ''Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth'' were both in development at around the same time and had their own demos published in 2006, but not much new came after that and their websites were shut down a few years later. After that it seemed like the games would never be released, but then ''Fountain of Youth'' got pages on [[https://www.facebook.com/fountain.of.youth.game Facebook]] and [[https://twitter.com/foy_game Twitter]], both of which have been updated relatively regularly. However, it remains to see if something new will come for ''Crown of Solomon''. |
| 165 | * ''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. |
| 166 | * Over the years several people have tried to make a FanRemake of ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIVThePerilsOfRosella'' but every attempt seems to have been canceled due to time restraints and other commitments, and every website from the developers seem to be lost. |
| 167 | * Development of the largely anticipated and long-awaited fan project ''VideoGame/MyLittlePonyFightingIsMagic'' was terminated by a [[ScrewedByTheLawyers cease and desist order from Hasbro]]. A massive backlash immediately ensued, and in doing so increased rumors that Hasbro is attempting [[ExecutiveMeddling to take more control of]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic the show]]. After about two and a half years after the original project was given the Cease and Desist, Mane 6, the developers of ''Fighting Is Magic'' have since formed their own company and created a new fighting game, ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'', with characters created by ''Creator/LaurenFaust herself''. |
| 168 | * ''VideoGame/Persona4 Rose Golden'' is a GameMod of the Steam version of ''Persona 4 Golden'' that promised to add a female Hero, add various content to take account of the new Hero, and add new characters, models, and sprites, akin to the official female MC from ''Persona 3 Portable''. The project began back in November 2020, back when the Steam release was new, as a work-in-progress on [=GameBanana=] and the updates did raise hype from the fandom. However, this turned out to be DevelopmentHell instead, as the over-promising of the scope resulted in very slow updates not helped by the lack of a playable demo. In fact, after more than 3 years, the development progress remained at 0%, and this is confirmed by the withhold message when the mod team attempted to make a WIP page for the 64-bit version per the original game's 2023 multiplatform update, which said that what the work has so far still only covered ''less than 1%'' of the overall scope. [=GameBanana=] does not have faith in this mod anymore unless the mod team can make it clear they are confident in finishing it. More activity is supposed to be going on the mod's Discord server, but by this point fans' hype had died down and considered any more female MC addition ''Persona'' mods to be a curse because of ''Rose Golden''. This is to the point that a collaboration project to add the ''VideoGame/Persona3'' female MC to ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'' (where she is excluded) earned negative reactions on its Discord thread, in fear of this vaporware scenario happening again and crushing fans' hopes. |
| 169 | * ''VideoGame/TheSilverLining'' is an episodic FanSequel to the ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' series. Episode four was released in 2011 and a fifth and final episode has been promised, but no news of the game on its website has been published since 2019. |
| 170 | * ''Sonic 2 HD'', a FanRemake of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', had potential when the alpha stages of the remake were shown to the public with brand new shiny HD graphics and remixed music, and quickly became very popular. However, after months of releasing no further information of the game after the Emerald Hill Zone release, the development team decided to come out and say that [=L0ST=], the main programmer of the game, had refused to stay in contact with the team, put DRM in the demo to stop people from trying to look at the game's code (which is actually based off of Sonic 2's) and spent ages trying to make the game suit his vision perfectly, even going so far as to replace other members' work if he wasn't pleased with it. Eventually, the team got sick of his antics and cancelled the project. It's back on a new engine, with concept for more levels released. |
| 171 | * An unofficial continuation/recreation of ''Sonic X-treme'' known as ''Project-S'' (which was supervised by one of ''Sonic Xtreme''s original staff members Chris Senn) began production in 2006, only for the fangame to cease production four years later, [[HistoryRepeats much like its (spritual) predecessor]]. |
| 172 | * ''Spyro: Myths Awaken'' was a fan-game made to act as an unofficial ''Spyro 4'', done in a {{retraux}} style just like the original trilogy. It was hit with a cease-and-desist. The team reworked it as ''VideoGame/ZeraMythsAwaken''. |
| 173 | * [=ZethN64=]'s ''Ura Zelda'' GameMod never came out. It was supposed to add back in several cut elements from ''The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'', such the Fairy Fountain and Sky Temple. Over time, it developed into an overly ambitious custom story with concepts that the Nintendo 64 couldn't even handle. The project ended up being cancelled after a few years of development. |
| 174 | * ''[=SlipStream=] GX'' was a ''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}}''-inspired racing game that started life on franchise fan website [=WipEoutZone=] in 2010, set in the TimeSkip between ''Fusion'' and ''Pure''. Some demos were released over the years, but the project's forum on [=WipEoutZone=] has been quiet since 2019. |
| 175 | * After Creator/{{Sierra}} closed its Yosemite branch, there were many attempts by fans to make their own ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' games. Most were unsuccessful because of disagreements, real-life issues, lack of commitments and various reasons. The most well-known were ''Hero 6: The Rite of Passage'', ''Destiny: Lost Soul'', ''The Struggle for Life and Honour'', ''Project: Katrina'', ''Heroine's Quest: The Legend of Fair Spring'' and ''The Unknown Hero''. |
| 176 | [[/folder]] |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[folder:Video Game Systems and Peripherals]] |
| 179 | * The Aladdin Deck Enhancer [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] accessory was announced with several games that went unreleased, including ''Bee 52'', ''Big Nose The Caveman'', ''CJ's Elephant Antics'', ''Dreamworld Pogie'', ''F16 Renegade'', ''Go! Dizzy Go!'', ''Metal Man'', ''Mig 29 Soviet Fighter'', ''Stunt Kids'', ''Team Sports Basketball'', and ''The Ultimate Stuntman'', though some games ended up released on regular cartridges. |
| 180 | * The Phantom game console has earned numerous vaporware awards and frequent comments on its auspicious name (as if the entire thing was a practical joke on a massive scale). First announced in 2002 (when its download-only sales model seemed [[ItWillNeverCatchOn downright insane]]), it was repeatedly delayed and pushed back until being put on infinite hold in 2006. The design company has since been accused of fraud by the SEC, changed names, and decided to focus on releasing the console's couch-keyboard-and-mouse accessory for other platforms. |
| 181 | * The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indrema Indrema L600]] (also known as the Indrema Entertainment System) by Indrema Corporation, an ambitious attempt at a Platform/{{Linux}}-based game console with a completely open development platform and hardware based on PC components, including a built-in DVD player and a built-in [=TiVo=]-esque DVR; seriously game-changing specs for 2000. A working prototype was exhibited in November 2000, but the company couldn't raise the capital needed to mass-produce it, making it defunct by April 2001, and it was overtaken by events when the Platform/{{Xbox}} and Platform/NintendoGameCube were released shortly afterwards after its proposed summer 2001 or later release date, and before that, the Platform/PlayStation2's release. |
| 182 | * Several Creator/{{Atari}} projects went unreleased: |
| 183 | ** The Atari Mindlink was going to be a controller for the Platform/Atari2600, designed to be worn by the player while reading forehead movements with infrared sensors, to be able to play the games ''Bionic Breakthrough'', ''Mind Maze'' and ''Telepathy''. The peripheral was shown at CES, and after complaints of forehead pain, the peripheral was never released to the public. |
| 184 | ** Atari had plans to release several follow-ups to the Atari 2600. The Atari 2500 was a slim model with built in controllers similar to the ''VideoGame/{{Pong}}'' consoles of the era, but it was abandoned in favor of the 2600 Jr. The Atari 2700 was an enhanced version of the 2600 with wireless controller support, but it too was never released. |
| 185 | ** Atari planned to release a tabletop/handheld system, the Atari Cosmos during the 2600 era. It was to feature a holographic display, but Atari didn't have faith in the project's commercial viability and cancelled it late in its development. |
| 186 | ** No one is exactly sure what the [[https://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-mirai.htm#page=reviews Atari Mirai]] was supposed to be. The best guess anyone has come up with is that it may have been a licensed clone of the Platform/NeoGeo AES (before SNK decided to just release the AES in the U.S. themselves), but that's just speculation thanks to the huge cart slot and the fact that Atari's HQ and [=SNK's=] American branch were right across the street from each other in Sunnyvale, CA, and most employees of one company were friends with a lot of people in the other. Some also think it may have been an attempt to turn the Platform/AtariST into a console. "Mirai" is the Japanese word for "future", for those curious. |
| 187 | ** Atari planned to follow up on the Platform/Atari7800 with the Atari Panther console, a 16-bit machine intended to compete directly with the Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem and Platform/SegaGenesis slated for a late 1991 release. However, late in development, after it had been successfully tested in prototyping, the custom graphics processor failed when the first batch of chips came in, as an undiscovered error during the chip die finalization introduced a critical flaw that rendered the whole chip useless. Fixing it would have set the whole project back by upwards of a year. However, the outside designers were also simultaneously working on an even more advanced design, the Platform/AtariJaguar, and when the Jaguar turned out to be further along in development than anticipated, Atari just scrapped the Panther and skipped the fourth generation entirely. |
| 188 | ** The Jaguar was planned to have a model combining the CD attachment with the console. This may never have gone further than mock-ups, with the Jaguar's CD add-on selling poorly (as had the Jaguar as a whole) and Atari Corp. approaching bankruptcy at the time. |
| 189 | ** Atari planned to follow up the Jaguar with a seven-processor beast of a machine ([[SarcasmMode because putting five processors in the Jaguar worked out great]]!) However, the Jaguar flopped so hard it basically killed Atari Corporation as a company and the successor never making it past the prototyping phase. |
| 190 | * During the era of the Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem, Creator/{{Nintendo}} and Creator/{{Sony}} were going to partner up and develop a console add-on for the system. On the day of Nintendo's stockholders meeting, Nintendo went through the proposed contract that Sony wrote up and discovered something shocking; if Nintendo agreed to Sony's contract, [[ReadTheFinePrint Sony would have full rights to all of Nintendo's intellectual properties, allowing them to create games based on Nintendo's franchises without Nintendo's permission]]. The discovery convinced Nintendo to tear up the contract and make a surprise announcement that they would be partnering with Phillips to create a different CD-based console, which itself was also scrapped.[[note]]The Platform/PhilipsCDi resulted from that second partnership, the contract of which gave Phillips the right to make its [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames own]] [[VideoGame/HotelMario games]] featuring Nintendo's characters.[[/note]] The last-second snub led Sony to create the Platform/PlayStation years later. Who knows how things would have been if Nintendo stuck to partnering with Sony. |
| 191 | ** The oft-forgotten step between the Platform/{{SNESCDROM}} and the [=PlayStation=] involves Creator/{{Sega}}. Sega of America were in serious discussions with Sony to make a new Sega console using [=CD-ROMs=], but Sega of Japan nixed the deal, in part due to acrimony between [=SoA=] and [=SoJ=] over [=SoA=]'s greater success in marketing consoles and games. |
| 192 | * A little before launching the Saturn, Sega was planning a system called the "Neptune", an integrated [[Platform/SegaGenesis Mega Drive/Genesis and 32X]] which would've played both Genesis and 32X games. This was scrapped when it became apparent how absurd releasing this would be (as indeed releasing the 32X already had been) when the Platform/SegaSaturn was just around the corner and also likely out of fear that it would interfere with the Saturn's momentum. That system's surprise launch in May 1995 (a mere ''six months'' after the 32X launched) probably didn't help. [[Franchise/{{Neptunia}} It still lives in spirit, though.]] |
| 193 | ** The incident repeated with the Sega Pluto, a low-cost version of the Saturn meant to attempt to help salvage the Saturn's market share and reputation in the US. Ultimately cancelled because, well, Bernie Stolar was still head honcho of Sega of America and he hated the Saturn, period. Additionally, work on the Platform/SegaDreamcast progressed in parallel and had moved far along enough to be released as a product. |
| 194 | * Before there was the Platform/NintendoDS, Sega was going to release its own handheld system with touchscreen... ''back in the mid-90s'', as the successor to the Platform/GameGear. Needless to say, the idea was way too ahead of its time, as development costs forced Sega to abandon its plans. |
| 195 | * Microsoft had considered creating a portable gaming device to compete with the Platform/NintendoDS and Platform/PlayStationPortable, with the working title of "Xboy". Despite the idea constantly coming up, it was ultimately shelved due to them being unable to focus on developing both the Platform/Xbox360 and a potential handheld system. |
| 196 | %%* The "[=McLaren=]" Windows Phone was going to support over thirty games specifically in development for the system, including games based on ''[[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker]]'' and ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct''. |
| 197 | * The highly publishized "Sega VR" headset for the Platform/SegaGenesis [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UN_pN9ZU8Y]], which would have made it the first console to get VR, two decades before the Platform/PlayStation4. The product even almost made it to production. Before release, it was pushed back to December 1993, before being delayed to late 1994, and subsequently cancelled. Unfortunately, for this one, it was Sega's own [[ScrewedByTheLawyers lawyers]] that pushed for the cancellation in the last minute: The reason given for its cancellation was that it was too dangerous: people could walk around while playing and accidentally injure themselves. The ''actual'' reason was that test results said prolonged usage made people dizzy and gave them headaches: The Genesis wasn't fast enough to handle VR without lagging and was causing motion sickness and disorientation in the beta participants, the latter further causing headaches and nausea. It was especially dangerous to children, who would almost always get motion sickness and headaches. One wonders if this would still be the case if the product was released ''after'' the [=32X=] which was released the next year. |
| 198 | * The [=ApeXtreme=] by Apex Digital was a CD and DVD based console planned for 2004, and would've included numerous multimedia features not unlike the Platform/PlayStation3, including the ability to stream internet radio, view slideshows, and play movies. However, the console was quietly cancelled at the end of the year. |
| 199 | * Hasbro's Control Vision was a console that used VHS tapes. It became vaporware at the last minute. Just two months before its launch in 1988, the [=VRAM=] chip needed for the console had its price raised from $30 per chip to $80. This would mean the Control Vision would need to be priced at $300. Hasbro decided to cancel the console because it couldn't compete against the much cheaper Nintendo Entertainment System (which sold at only $100). Two games from the console, ''VideoGame/SewerShark'' and ''VideoGame/NightTrap'', stood in limbo until they were released for the Sega CD in 1992. |
| 200 | * Panasonic planned to release a portable game console called Jungle, intended to compete with the Platform/Nintendo3DS and Platform/PlayStationVita. Its design could be likened to a foldable Blackberry phone with a trackpad and keypad. Had it released, it would've been Panasonic's second video game console after the [[Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]]. However, Panasonic cancelled the project in 2011. |
| 201 | * Via presented the [=MoMA=] Eve handheld game console at [=E3=] 2004, and it would've featured a dual-analog control layout with a form-factor similar to the Platform/GameBoyAdvance SP (minus the folding screen). It was designed to play PC games along with games designed specificially for it, essentially making it a Steam Deck before the Steam Deck was even a thing. However, after its announcement, Via encountered a trademark issue regarding the console, and it ended up never releasing to the public. |
| 202 | * In 2000, Ericsson was working on a competitor to the Platform/GameBoyAdvance called the Red Jade. It would've resembled a Platform/WonderSwan and feature 5th generation-quality [=3D=] graphics, in addition to multiple PDA and multimedia functions. However, Ericsson was unable to find a partner to release the console, approaching Sony and Sega, Nintendo's chief rivals at the time, both declining to back the project. When Ericsson tried to go solo, the Dot-com bubble burst left them unable to fund the project, and it was quietly abandoned in 2001. |
| 203 | * The [[http://ultimateconsoledatabase.com/unreleased/nanogear.htm Nurve Nanogear]] was a 32-bit handheld that included an integrated dev kit and built in networking. Ads for the console hit the game magazines in 2003 and are pretty much the only evidence that it ever existed, as it was never heard from again. As shown [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XGameStation_series here]] the tech was eventually turned into DIY microconsoles somewhat like the Raspberry Pi. |
| 204 | * The [=GamePark=] XGP or XGP Extreme Game Player was a handheld game console intended to be released during the 7th generation of video games. Little is known about it other than it was intended to be an open platform allowing both downloadable commercial games and free homebrew games. It also would've been available in three models, including an inexpensive varient specifically for children. [=GamePark=] would declare bankruptcy in 2007, leaving the XGP in limbo. |
| 205 | * The Ultravision Video Arcade System was going to be a combination game console, PC, and 10 inch color TV, supporting its own line of games in addition to being sideways compatible with Platform/ColecoVision and Platform/Atari2600 games. It would've supported 16-direction joysticks and support being hooked up to a ''car battery''. It never went past the prototyping stage. |
| 206 | * Many of the designs invented by Active Enterprises were doomed to fail from the start, but the most ambitious of these was their planned portable gaming console, the '''Action Gamemaster''': Conceived as a massive, foot-and-a-half wide beast with a 3.2 inch screen, this system would not only be compatible with proprietary game discs (including "killer app" Cheetahmen 3), but it would also house an expansion port that would accommodate cartridges for the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, the Platform/SuperNintendo and the Platform/SegaGenesis, and it could also be used as a portable television set, with a projected price point of '''''500 dollars'''''. It seems as though Active were ''truly ahead of their time'' with their idea for a multisystem portable -- many of the Gamemaster's features now seem to have manifested in Sony's Platform/PlayStationPortable instead. Or in Nvidia's case, the Shield Portable, which had a similar controller-with-screen form factor, sans the 18-inch device footprint. And that is without mentioning the various retro console manufacturers which do in fact include cartridge ports of multiple consoles on the same system, including the same three consoles the Action Gamemaster claimed to support. |
| 207 | * The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic_M2 Panasonic M2]] console was to have been the 64-bit successor to the Platform/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer. Creator/The3DOCompany was designing it to be an add-on upgrade to the original console, with the WorkingTitle "Bulldog", before shifting to the stand-alone 3DO M2, finally selling the design outright to Matsushita/Panasonic (as opposed to the licensing model used for the first 3DO) to be released as the Panasonic M2. However, it was canceled very close to its announced 1997 release. |
| 208 | ** The console was not released aside from some prototypes, but its technology was integrated into FZ-21S and FZ-35S multimedia players, ATM machines, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and coffee machines]]. |
| 209 | ** {{Creator/Konami}} did release a few arcade games based on the [=M2=] architecture (namely ''Battle Tryst'', ''Polystars'', ''VideoGame/EvilNight'', ''Heat of Eleven '98'' and ''Total Vice''). |
| 210 | ** ''[[VideoGame/{{Clayfighter}} Clayfighter 63⅓]]'' was planned as ''Clayfighter 3'' on the SNES and M2 console, before being released on the N64. A planned [=PlayStation=] version, ''Clay Fighter X-Treme'', was also cancelled. |
| 211 | ** The game ''[[VideoGame/{{D}} D2]]'' was going to be released for the M2 console, and ended up being released on the Platform/SegaDreamcast. |
| 212 | ** Sega was planning to develop software for the console, including ''[[VideoGame/VirtuaFighter Virtua Fighter 3]]''. |
| 213 | ** ''IMSA World Championship'', known as ''IMSA Racing'', was a cancelled racing game on the M2. |
| 214 | * As buyers were shifting from consoles to computers during MediaNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, Platform/{{Colecovision}} promised an expansion module that would essentially turn their console into an Adam computer in an attempt to draw in customers. It never went past the prototype stage possibly due to the negative reception of the Adam. |
| 215 | * The ''Wii Vitality Sensor'' was shown at E3 2009, but was barely discussed since then. Some video game journalists started doubting that the project was ever real and the sensor itself was just a mock up shown because Nintendo didn't have anything new or interesting to reveal at E3 that year. In 2013, the Vitality Sensor was finally brought up by Nintendo... to reveal it was cancelled. It was a real, planned product, but was scrapped because there was too large a portion of test users that the sensor could not read. Oddly, its trademark was renewed in December of 2014. |
| 216 | * In 2014 Nintendo announced an as-yet still mysterious "quality of life" platform that will be focused on health and fitness and incorporate technology that can detect the user's body in some way. It's been speculated that the vitality sensor project may have morphed into this over time. Said platform has also not surfaced as of 2021. |
| 217 | * The Konix Multisystem was a British console developed in the late 80s. Originally created as an advanced peripheral, Konix decided to go further with the project to create a 16-bit computer to compete with the Amiga. The system was then pushed back several times, up to Fall of 1990 due to a very troubled production and employees not receiving their wages. When Konix bankrupted without a finished computer, the project was scrapped. |
| 218 | * In 2001, Mad Catz planned to release the Bioforce controller, a Playstation 2 controller that sent shock waves to the player. It was shown off at trade shows but never made it to release (likely due to health worries). |
| 219 | * The Retro Video Game System and its successor the Coleco Chameleon (unrelated to the Colecovision besides the name) were two consoles that were meant to "bring back" cartridge-based gaming. They were supposed to be able to clone numerous 8-bit and 16-bit consoles as well as play {{retraux}} indie games. After a lot of criticism and controversy, both consoles ended up being canned during their concept stages. |
| 220 | * Rumors of a Game Boy successor began leaking in 1996. Nintendo later said it would be released at the end of 1997, but it ultimately never came out and instead they released the Game Boy Pocket. Eventually the similar Game Boy Advance would come out in 2001. In 2009 Nintendo released a photographs of the handheld, which was codenamed "Project Atlantis". It started development in 1995 but was canned in 1998 because it was too bulky and expensive to produce at the time. The Platform/GameBoyColor was released in its place. |
| 221 | * ''Sharkwire Online'' was a Nintendo 64 device that allowed the user to visit a special Sharkwire website, even without having an internet connection. There were plans for a Playstation version but it never came out. |
| 222 | * The "Game Eye" was a Platform/GameBoyAdvance SpiritualSuccessor to the VideoGame/GameBoyCamera. It was demonstrated at [=E3=] 2002 and due for a mid-2000s release but never came out. |
| 223 | * It's known that ''VideoGame/TailsSkyPatrol'' (which wasn't always a ''Sonic'' title) started out development for an unknown cancelled handheld. Little is known about it other than that it was to compete with the Game Boy. |
| 224 | [[/folder]] |
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