Preserving Cancelled & Unreleased Video Game History Since 1999
Total results: 99
GTW Highlight No.3: Our annual #Commodore64 Christmas update saw various International Karate and IK+ prototypes recovered, with other Archer Maclean materials and many other games preserved for the first time. What will we have this year I wonder? https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2023/12/gtw64-christmas-update-2023/
GTW Highlight No.03: Not unreleased, but we took a look last December at rare, never seen IK+ development documents from the late Archer Maclean’s archive, including ideas + graphical concepts that led to creation of the famous fighting game. Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.4: In January, we took a look at a complex 3D space simulator called Tantalus for the Amiga, Atari ST and PC from 1991. Due for release in 1992 by Electronic Arts, it disappeared without a trace: https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2024/01/tantalus/
GTW Highlight No.04: Last year’s Commodore 64 Christmas update saw the recovery of the unreleased Wacky Races V1, Aladdin’s Cave, Apprentice and 666 games and a lot more. More is on the way for this year’s update – so watch this space! Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.5: At the end of January, we presented a #PC demo of the lost Battle Bowls, a Puzzle Bobble clone due for release on #AtariST, #Falcon, #Amiga + #PC. Now you could see just how good this puzzler … Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.05: Also in December, we revealed early prototypes of Jimmy White’s Whirlwind Snooker, including early PC tests, Atari ST protos. Also showcasing concept artwork + icons from the game – created by the late and great Archer Maclean: Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.6: In March, preservation work of Archer Maclean’s disks continued with a look at many arcade concepts that Archer had created on the Atari 800 and sadly abandoned, including an early Robotron development. https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2024/03/archer-macleans-atari-concepts/ As well as our … Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.06: One of our final December updates saw unseen screens from the lost Dropzone 2 on the Atari + Commodore64, along with a strange Arcade edition of Dropzone. Also various International Karate protos and IK+ graphical assets too:
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2024/12/archer-maclean-a8-prototypes-and-unused-assets/ Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.07: In February, we were honoured to give a talk at Retro Collective about Games That Weren’t and 25 years of uncovering unreleased, cancelled, and forgotten games. Here is a link to the full talk: Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.7: Again in March, we released an early prototype of Prehistorik Kart on the #Nintendo #GameBoyAdvance for the first time – a Mario Kart clone due as a compilation bonus for the GBA release of Prehistorik Man by … Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.8: Finally in March, we carried out a huge preservation project on Micro-Antics, the company that produced the amazing Chariot Race for the Commodore VIC-20. All titles were fully preserved, including dev materials + an unreleased game: https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2024/03/a-tribute-to-micro-antics/
GTW Highlight No.08: A huge surprise in March, when we recovered a previously unknown #NES conversion of Sensible Soccer. A complete conversion that had been missing for 32 years, and which you can now finally play. Go be a goal-scoring superstar hero! ⚽
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/03/sensible-soccer/ Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.9: In April, we looked at Into The Shadows – an impressive 3D fantasy fighting game developed for Scavenger in 1996 for PC, PlayStation + Sega Saturn. Only a rolling demo currently exists, but something playable is hoped … Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.09: In March, we also had a massive discovery with the release of the long-lost god sim Populous for the #NES. A full conversion lost for 33 years – which now you can finally play.
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/03/populous/ Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.10: Again in April, another recovery was made – this time with Bushido Warrior on the Amstrad CPC. A neat oriental themed Gauntlet clone due for release in 1988. https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2024/04/bushido-warrior/
GTW Highlight No.10: No April Fools when we recovered a full game for a console that never was. Magician’s Apprentice (1993) was for the mythic Multi-System 2 (successor to the Konix Multi-system), and is now emulated + playable thanks to SavourySnaX !
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/04/magicians-apprentice/ Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.11: In May, we celebrated an incredible 25 years of Games That Weren’t, which was first born back in 1999. Covering the history of how the site first started and some of the key events and recoveries over … Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.11: Switching focus to the #SNES in April, we preserved the unfinished Mechanoids 2: The Final Conflict. An early side-scrolling mech fighter planned for 1993. We recovered two prototype builds you can check out and play:
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/04/mechanoids-2-the-final-conflict/ Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.12: June was certainly busy, and we did a huge investigation into The Godfather on the Sega Master System + others. It vanished after a rough first cut that wasn’t up to scratch. We made some big breakthroughs … Continue reading
GTW Highlight No.12: By April/May, we had recovery and release of Anco’s Tip-Off for #NES + #SNES. You can now experience early developments of the game, and also hear the long-lost David Whittaker NES music, compiled from source.
https://gamesthatwerent.com/2025/04/tip-off/
https://gamesthatwerent.com/2025/05/tip-off-2/ Continue reading
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