Welcome to Games That Weren't

Games That Weren't is a long-running archive dedicated to cancelled and unreleased video games, prototypes and lost gaming history. Since 1999, we have been preserving rare information, assets and developer stories from across all eras of gaming.

Explore a vast collection of cancelled video game projects, unseen prototypes and behind-the-scenes development history from consoles and computers past and present. Our non-profit work aims to document and preserve titles that were never released to the public, before they are lost forever.

Browse the archive and discover thousands of lost and unreleased games across multiple platforms.

Latest News and Posts

Commodore 64 games preserved

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Thanks to the generosity of Mat Allen and Håvar Bruvold Hojem, Games That Weren’t has preserved two pieces of unpreserved software in the form of Co Pro Football by Tepe Enterprises in 1984, and also an earlier prototype of IFR (Flight Simulator) by Ron Wanttaja in 1983.

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The IFR prototype is particularly interesting, as it has some variations in the title screen and main game panel, and there could be other differences too compared to the final release version of the game. As well as the games themselves, we’re adding scans and the RAW Kryoflux files for posterity. Continue reading →

In: Commodore 64 (C64), GTW64 news, Preservation, Prototype | Tagged: | 1 Comment

Escapeque

Posted: by Toppy

1991-1994 Stavros Fasoulas

Platform: Commodore Amiga

Escapeque was a game developed around 1991-1994 by Stavros Fasoulas and Tomas Dahlgren (aka. Uncle Tom of Scoopex, who was a known musician in the Amiga demoscene in the early 90s).

escapeque mockup

The exact genre/premise/gameplay description of the game is unclear, but judging by the graphics made for it (dated 1991-1994 and released as part of Tomas’s entire graphics directory which was dumped in late 2010 by somebody who bought his original Amiga), it would have been a 2D side-scrolling platform adventure game in the vein of Flashback/Another World. Continue reading →

In: Commodore Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Dungeon Keeper 3: War for the Overworld

Posted: by Timo Weirich

2000 Bullfrog Productions / Electronic Arts

Platform: PC

Dungeon Keeper is considered by many as one of the best real-time strategy games ever made and quickly gained a huge fanbase after its release in 1997. The follow-up, however, did not do as well as expected in the marketplace.

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When the decision was made to go on with the series, the developers were instructed to make Dungeon Keeper 3 more accessible so that the game would reach a wider audience. With a small team of only three people, the project entered the conceptual stage in November of 1999. Continue reading →

In: PC, Reviews | Tagged: | 1 Comment

Æon_Flux

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1996 Cryo Interactive Entertainment

Platform: Sony PlayStation

Following on from our recent post on the cancelled PlayStation 2/Xbox edition of Æon Flux by Argonaut Games, Steve Cook of Videogame History recently got in touch to highlight that this wasn’t the first attempt to bring MTV’s cult animated series to consoles.

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Several years earlier, Cryo Interactive Entertainment had been working on a PlayStation adaptation for Viacom New Media, with development already underway by 1996. Based upon the surreal animated series created by Peter Chung, the game aimed to translate the strange world of Æon Flux into a third-person 3D action adventure. Continue reading →

In: Reviews, Sony PlayStation | Tagged: | 2 Comments

Acolyte

Posted: by Frank Gasking

1989 Clockwise

Platforms: ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC

Acolyte is a cancelled Clockwise title that was practically complete when it was cancelled, and a neat multi-screen arcade adventure which had versions created for ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It seems the game was originally being developed by Video Images, but then picked up by Clockwise to finish off and sell to someone like Alternative Software, but sadly it never happened.

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Today we’re adding an early prototype version of the Amstrad CPC edition thanks to Dean Hickingbottom, which doesn’t have all the enemies, has slightly different titles and also may have differences in the map as well. Continue reading →

In: Amstrad CPC, Prototype, Reviews, ZX Spectrum | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Sketch Prototype (Atari) Preserved

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Bertrand / AtariMania has once again come up with the goods with another preservation find, this time sharing an early prototype of Sketch by Romox for the Atari 8-bit home computer platform. Although it is technically an application rather than a game, it is still a very interesting recovery, especially since Romox was otherwise known for producing games.

sketch large

According to Bertrand, this prototype has been sitting in his collection for at least twenty years, but for some reason it never previously made it online. The build is an early disk version written in BASIC and includes a few sample pictures. It is also believed the cartridge release would have been partially rewritten, although that version has not surfaced. Continue reading →

In: Atari 400/800/XL, News, Preservation | Leave a comment

Bad Max

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1985 Transoft

Platforms: Commodore 64, Thomson MO5, Thomson TO7

Bad Max was a rather unusual French graphic adventure by Transoft, released in 1985 for the Amstrad CPC. Inspired heavily by the Mad Max universe, the game attempted something quite ambitious for its time by presenting its world using a 3D effect, requiring players to wear red and blue 3D glasses included in the box.

Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, players took on the role of “Bad Max”, struggling to survive amongst violent gangs, heavily armed police forces and many hazards. The game combined illustrated scenes with traditional text adventure commands, whilst offering two different paths to victory depending on whether the player chose to act fairly or embrace corruption. Continue reading →

In: Commodore 64 (C64), Reviews, Thomson MO5, Thomson TO7 | Tagged: | 3 Comments

Fatman and Slim

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

2003 Kaboom / Attention to Detail

Platforms: PlayStation 2, PC

Fatman and Slim was to be a unique and challenging character based puzzle platformer by Attention to Detail, under their Kaboom label. Set for release on PlayStation 2 and PC around 2003 (later slipping to 2004), the game stood out at the time for trying something a little different during an era dominated by more action driven titles.

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Players would take on the role of Fat Man, tasked with rescuing his girlfriend Slim. Along the way, players would encounter a variety of worlds filled with puzzles and environmental challenges, requiring careful use of Fat Man’s unusual abilities.

The game revolved around a physics based system where Fat Man could shift between three different forms. In his default “bouncy” state, he could rebound around environments. Switching to a fluffy form reduced his weight, allowing for slower descents and more control in mid air, whilst a metal form increased his weight dramatically, letting him smash objects, sink in water or activate switches. Continue reading →

In: PC, Reviews, Sony PlayStation 2 | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Lost C64 games and protos – May 2026 (GTW64)

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Almost half way through the year already, and we have more Commodore 64 goodness for you, with 4 brand-new entries added to the site, and 22 existing entries updated. Some new recoveries coming very soon, so watch this space! Little bit late with May due to a holiday, so we’ll be back again in less than a month with June’s update. Enjoy!

4 new entries added

Dungeons and Magic, The Sanctuary, Thunder Light, Trap Mission

22 updates added

4 Soccer Sims V1, 7 Minutes To Midnight, Ala Software, Barbarian 3, Car Game, Chess, Dark Sceptre, Escape From Colditz, Games Compendium, Motorcross Mania, Murder!, Orbyte Software titles, Paddle Mania, Quest for Cyrus, Rebelstar 2, Super Thief, Titan Find, Tour De Force, Turbo Cup Challenge, Turner Software Games, Two On Two Sports, Tycoon Tex

In: GTW64 news, News | Leave a comment