In the wonderful world of video games, there are titles that have seen the light of day and others that were brutally crushed before they even breathed. Some of these lost games could have revolutionised the industry, others remained only broken in the minds of fans.
Here are some of the games never released that left us with broken hearts and a lot of meme on Reddit.
P.T. (Silent Hill)
Perhaps the most famous cancelled game ever. Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro were creating a nightmarish horror game, but Kojima decided to leave Konami, on whose graphics engine Silent Hill ran. The two quarrelled and the project was brutally cancelled in 2015. The playable teaser became legend, and today those who still have it on their consoles can sell it as a sacred heirloom.
PREY 2
A sequel that promised space exploration and bounty hunter shoot-outs, but ended in oblivion. Despite being virtually complete, Bethesda officially cancelled it in 2014 because it was not up to their quality standards.
BULLY 2
Rockstar seemed ready to put us back in the shoes of Jimmy, a rebellious young student, back in his hometown in the summer after his first year at Bullworth Academy. But then they dediced that robbing banks in GTA was more profitable, so Bully 2 ended up in the drawer, some of its mechanics were incorporated into Red Dead Redemption 2 and the protagonist was trapped in an eternal school year.
HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE 3
Valve and episode number 3: a love affair never born. After episode number 2, fans expected a worthy conclusion to the saga, but instead nothing happened. Only silence. Gabe Newell, president of the Valve Corporation, claims that Ep3 was not considered original and revolutionary enough compared to the other Half-Life episodes, which have always been known for bringing new ideas and experimenting with technologies.
MORTAL KOMBAT: FIRE & ICE
A game dedicated to Scorpion and Sub-Zero? It sounded too good to be true, and indeed it wasn’t. Midway closed down before even giving us the dream of cooperative combat starring the saga’s two best-loved ninjas.
BEYOND GOOD & EVIL 2
Announced back in 2008, this sequel has become the videogame version of a unicorn: everyone talks about it, no one has ever really seen it. Despite the years and past difficulties, Ubisoft still believe in this project, however, and is once again trying to get it out of the production hellhole in which it was mired. Will we ever see it on out consoles?
FNAF WORLD
Last but not least, let us talk about a case in point: this game actually came out, but was so criticised that its authors themselves decided to withdraw it and consider it a failed experiment. Despite subsequent republications, the image damage was done, and the game will be remembered as a rare case of video game self-censorship.
These lost games are a mix of lost opportunities and gaming legends. Some may yet re-emerge, others will reamin legends forever. Which of these would you have liked to see on the shelves?
