A Sad History of Cancelled Games Friv 0

Shelved and gone.

In the big industry of video games, projects get cancelled for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we find out why through official announcements or a myriad rumors. Whether it's from not meeting the standards of publishers or just getting lost in development hell, some games often get the boot before they can even reach the hands of anxious gamers.

From recently cancelled games like Scalebound and Silent Hills to older games like Star Wars: Battlefront 3 and Mega Man Legends 3, there are many unfortunate projects that have met untimely ends over the years. Here's a list of games that have been cancelled in the last few years and some history on what they were.

Check back often as we update this feature with more cancelled games.

Scalebound

Scalebound was an Xbox One-exclusive action-RPG by PlatinumGames first announced at Microsoft's E3 2014 press conference. It followed the story of Drew, an adventurer who shares a symbiotic relationship with a dragon named Thuban. The two embarked on an adventure through the land of Draconis, battling enemy forces and giant creatures.

The concept behind the game was conceptualized back in 2006, but Platinum moved forward developing Bayonetta instead. The idea was revised and re-pitched until its development was officially approved during the final phase of development for the studio's Wii U-exclusive action-adventure The Wonderful 101.

Scalebound was scheduled to launch in 2016, but a crowded holiday release schedule pushed it into 2017. The game made a few appearances at trade shows throughout the years, showcasing its large-scale combat scenarios and online cooperative multiplayer. However, the game's development was cancelled in early January 2017. Microsoft commented: "After careful deliberation, Microsoft Studios has come to the decision to end production for Scalebound." As of writing, no other details have been confirmed over why the game was cancelled or if Microsoft will continue in a development partnership with Platinum.

Star Wars 1313

Star Wars 1313 was an action-adventure game set to be a gritty take on the Star Wars universe. By the tail end of its development, it was going to follow the exploits of a young Boba Fett exploring an underground area of Coruscant known as level 1313. But when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, it made the decision to change the Star Wars franchise’s position from internal development to a licensing model for Star Wars video games. As a result, on April 3, 2013, massive lay offs were made to LucasArts and all projects were canceled, including Star Wars 1313.

Silent Hills

Silent Hills was going to be the next installment in the Silent Hill series. Hideo Kojima was set to direct the project in collaboration with film director Guillermo Del Toro. The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus was also attached to the project to portray the game’s main character. When news of Kojima’s plans to leave Konami after finishing MGS V began to circulate, his involvement in Silent Hills was left unclear. Konami finally confirmed the game was cancelled on April 27, 2015 after a variety of reports from those involved with the project had stated that the game was no longer in development. Despite the cancellation, Konami stated the Silent Hill franchise will continue.

Titan

Titan was a new MMO game by World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment. Development of the title was speculated upon as early as 2007 when Blizzard posted job listings for a next-gen MMO. It was confirmed to be in development in 2008, but Blizzard eventually canceled it in 2014. Reasons cited behind the cancellation include a lack of passion for the project and the trending success of their smaller-scale titles.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6 Patriots

Announced in 2011, Rainbow 6 Patriots was a first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal. It put players in control of a counter-terrorism unit known as Team Rainbow as they went up against a populist militia group known as the True Patriots. Ubisoft canceled the game on June 9, 2014 due to the desire to produce a more next-gen game experience for the Rainbow 6 series.

Prey 2

Prey 2 was a first-person shooter developed by Human Head Studios. As the sequel to 2006's Prey, it would have put players in control of a bounty hunter on the alien world of Exodus who is trying to recover his lost memories. But on October 30, 2014, publisher Bethesda confirmed that Prey 2 was cancelled due to the game not being up to its standards.

Shadow Realms

Shadow Realms was a 4v1 online action-RPG being developed by BioWare’s Austin studio. It was first announced during Gamescom 2014. Set on modern day Earth and a parallel world known as Embra, it would have had players taking on the roles of magic wielding heroes caught in a war to save humanity against the evil Shadow Legions. Unfortunately, Shadow Realms got the boot due to BioWare Austin focusing their development efforts on other BioWare family projects, such as Dragon Age: Inquisition and the next Mass Effect.

Star Wars: Battlefront 3

Star Wars: Battlefront 3 was a third- and first-person shooter that was being developed by Free Radical Design. Despite never being officially announced, this version of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 was in development from mid-2006 to early 2008. But right when it was about 99% finished, the game was cancelled due to financial reasons.

Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun

Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun was an action-adventure game that was to be the sixth entry in Crystal Dynamics’ long-running Legacy of Kain series. It was being developed by Climax Studios under the supervision of Crystal Dynamics. Development for the game began secretly in 2009-2010 after Square Enix Europe chose Climax Studios to take on the job of creating a next-gen Legacy of Kain game. However, Square Enix Europe canceled the title in 2012 before it was able to reach full production.

Fez 2

Fez 2 was to be the sequel to 2012’s Fez, an indie 2D puzzle platformer that revolves around players solving puzzles while rotating between four sides of the game’s 3D world. The game was canceled a month after its announcement following a Twitter argument between lead designer Phil Fish and a video game journalist.

Dawngate

Dawngate was a free-to-play MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) developed by Waystone Games and published by Electronic Arts. Aiming to differentiate itself from other MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2, Dawngate tried to implement an evolving story into its gameplay. Despite being in beta for quite some time, Waystone Games announced that the game was cancelled due to its beta not shaping up to the standards they hoped it would.

World of Darkness

World of Darkness was a vampire-themed MMO that was being developed by EVE Online developer CCP Games. Based in the supernatural world of the tabletop RPG series World of Darkness, the game was going to make heavy use of player politics and social interaction in its gameplay. However, CCP Games canceled the project on April 14, 2014 after being in development for nearly eight years.

Fallout Online

Fallout Online was an MMO that was being developed by Interplay Entertainment, the Fallout series' original creators. Officially confirmed to be in development in 2009, the MMO would eventually be canceled in 2012 after a long legal battle between Interplay and new series publisher Bethesda that resulted in an out-of-court settlement. Bethesda then got the rights back to develop a Fallout MMO.

Bioshock for the PS Vita

BioShock for the PS Vita was a game announced by former Irrational Games co-founder Ken Levine during Sony's E3 2011 press conference. It was going to be a completely new original entry in the series rather than a port of previous BioShock games. But in July 2014, it was confirmed that deals between Sony and BioShock publisher Take Two failed to materialize. And with closure of Irrational Games in 2014, whatever plans Levine had for the portable title are effectively buried.

NBA Live 13

NBA Live 13 was to be a reboot to EA’s long-running basketball game franchise that at the time hadn’t seen a release since 2010. However, due to lack of satisfaction over the game’s builds in the lead-up to launch, EA decided to cancel the game a mere six days before its planned release date.

Mega Man Legends 3

Mega Man Legends 3 was to be the next entry in the cult classic Mega Man spin-off series. It would have had players controlling two new characters named Aero and Barrett who would have joined alongside returning series characters to save Mega Man Volnutt from Elysium. Initial development of Mega Man Legends 3 was originally helmed by series creator Keiji Inafune. However, when he left the Capcom in 2010, development continued without him. Unfortunately, on July 18, 2011, Capcom canceled the game citing that it did not meet the required criteria to go into full production.

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