Documenting unreleased, cancelled and prototype games.
Covering unreleased and cancelled games and prototypes on both consoles and computers. We are a large archive dedicated to preserving games that were never released to the public. Sharing history and stories from the developers, assets and more before it is too late.
A non-profit digitisation project, aiming to digitally preserve software and history which would otherwise be lost for good. If for any reason there is anything that you do not wish to be on the website, please contact us for removal.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 12 page story about the unreleased Eye of the Moon which was planned for development on modern day platforms including Apple iOS, after the cancellation of the 8-bit title in the series. We speak to Chris Wild about plans for the game and take a look at the ideas and vision from the late and great Mike Singleton.
A very short entry for a title already covered on Amiga GTW, where you can find screenshots and a rolling demo to download – as well as a Q/A with creator Paolo Costabel.
When the game became too ambitious and was to fill three disks – it was told not to be financially viable, so the game was cancelled. Sadly little else is known at this stage about the game itself.
Grzegorz Antosiewicz got in touch recently to provide a rare screen showing the actual game itself in action from Amiga Magazine issue 5 1989:
The game was to have platform/shooter elements to it, so this must have been that platformer part of the game. Hopefully something of the game itself will be found and preserved, so you can see what could have been.
Thanks to Grzegorz Antosiewicz for the heads up regarding a title by the creators of Super Stardust. Aggression was to be a horizontally scrolling shooter with ray traced graphics and up to 512 colours on screen at once.
There was to be full screen multilayer scrolling and very large sprites making use of every clock cycle the Amiga had to offer. The CD32 edition would have better animation and music played directly from CD.
The game just completely disappeared from sight and hasn’t been heard of since. Although a very early demo has sneaked out and is available, the later raytraced edition has yet to surface in any shape or form. Could it be found some day and how far exactly did it get?
Gallery
One of three screens from an early build, pre-CD32/1200 era.
One of three screens from an early build, pre-CD32/1200 era.
One of three screens from an early build, pre-CD32/1200 era.
As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are adding assets and content that were shared with us during our research as bonus DLC content, and which didn’t make it to the book. Thanks to Thalamus Digital (Facebook + Twitter) for permission to include this title on the site.
Mercenary was a hugely popular 3D exploration title by the late and great Paul Woakes, which spawned a few sequels such as Damocles and Mercenary 3. Those who played the 8-bit incarnations of Mercenary in 1985 were blown away by the speed and scale of the game, and it is quite rightly rated as one of the best games ever to grace the Commodore 64.
Thanks to Grzegorz Antosiewicz for the heads up about a great post on Team 17’s The Speris Legacy, showing differences between early demos and the final game.
Although it isn’t an unreleased game, we try sometimes on GTW to showcase differences between demos and final versions, showing off assets that are unused for example.
Super Adventures In Gaming has done a wonderful dissection, with buttons to press to show the differences between demos and final version. Its a great read worth checking out!
As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are adding assets and content that were shared with us during our research as bonus DLC content, and which didn’t make it to the book. Thanks to Thalamus Digital (Facebook + Twitter) for permission to include this title on the site.
1993 signed tough times for the Commodore 64, as the market finally began to crumble around the once mighty 8-bit. With only a trickle of games coming out each month, and mainly budget releases, the C64 really needed a good send off before its inevitable commercial death. With Mayhem in Monsterland (and also Lemmings, Alien 3 around the same time) we were not let down by any means.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 12 page story about the unreleased SimMars by Maxis. We discuss the history of the development with lead gameplay engineer Jason Shankel, systems engineer Alex Zvenigorodsky, artist and designer B.J. West and associate producer Dan Brazelton, talking about the trials and tribulations, but also the pure excitement and enthusiasm there was within the team producing the game.
An overshall shot, showing the look and feel of the game.
In a long planned collaboration with @Doctor_Cupcakes (aka Liam Robertson), you can now check out his impressive documentary video on the long lost Super Nintendo version of Green Lantern via DidYouKnowGaming, based on research from the Games That Weren’t book and showcasing running footage of the game for the very first time.
Liam also links game scenes to the actual comic scenes that were used as inspiration, which was great to see.
Sprite assets and more can also be found on our Green Lantern page, with assets that were recovered and didn’t make it to print.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 10 page story about the unreleased Subtraddition by Sacred Square Games, where we spoke to its creator Stuart Lilford. One of the things we wanted to do in the book was to not only cover high profile cancellations in the final chapter, also at least one indie development and a few mobile-based developments. Showcasing how far spread game development is today and how cancellations are happening all the time, no matter the budget and target audience.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 14 page story about the unreleased Nintendo GameCube and SEGA Dreamcast editions of Half-Life by Captivation and Gearbox Software. We speak to the original first developer of the Dreamcast edition (whilst originally in development at PyroTechnix), Brian Kraack, as well as Sierra’s external producer Jeff Pobst, Captivation’s Robert Morgan and Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford. There was also discussion with Dan Amrich, who reviewed a near-gold version of the game at the time.
Photo from Gearbox of the final produced game that would never see release.
This is a smaller piece intended for inclusion in The Games That Weren’t book that didn’t make the final cut. As a result, please note that it hasn’t been professionally proof read compared to the published pieces in the book. As part of our Bonus material series, here is the full raw article for your enjoyment.
The boom of mobile opened us up to a new era in gaming, with a plethora of titles in many shapes and sizes. With something for everyone, the ease of access further enabled those not into games to get involved in gaming. On the other hand, it’s been seen as a contributing factor towards a sea of ‘shovelware’, with cheap cash-ins and titles lacking on depth or real value.
Scratch beneath the surface and many gems can be found amongst the rough. Starting life out on PC via Steam, Plants vs Zombieswas one particular success story back in 2010 on iOS and became a favourite amongst mobile gamers. The game can be filed under the Tower Defence genre, where you must defend territory/items from attack. Early genre examples includeMissile Command, but it was Atari’s Rampart which set a standard for placing defences that automatically ‘attack’ incoming enemies.
Overrun with Puppies (iOS). Starting in your run down kitchen within the main game.
Within the book is a 10 page discussion Q/A piece on Gauntlet DS, talking to Creative director Micah Russo, technical director David Sullivan, sound designer and composer Yannis Brown, original lead engineer Adam Rippon, lead artist Tracey King, and artist Gerald Broas.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 16 page story about the unreleased Burnt Out Cop by Infinite Lives. We spoke to Dan Malone, John Rowlands, Mitchell Goodwin, Nick Lee, Robin Ellis and Steve Rowlands about the cancelled development, and what seemed to be shaping up to be a fantastic arcade action title, inspired by films such as Hard Boiled and Die Hard.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 10 page story about the unreleased Nokia N-Gage title 8-Kings by Argonaut Games. We spoke to Marin Piper and Oscar Ferrero about the cancelled development.
Within the book is a short double page spread on the unreleased Creation game by Bullfrog, with a quote from Glenn Corpes to briefly summarize the project. The title was a very ambitious underwater game, where marine life have been saved from the Earth’s destroyed Oceans.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 10 page story about the unreleased Nintendo 64 edition of Frogger 2 by Interactive Studios. We spoke to Andrew and Philip Oliver, Andy Eder, Darren Wood, Matt Cloy and Steve Bond about the cancelled platform development due to cartridge commitment costs.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 12 page story about the unreleased Stunt Car Racer Pro, the sequel to the classic Microprose game by Simergy and Lost Toys for the Microsoft Xbox, PC and Sony PlayStation 2 platforms. We overall speak to Geoff Crammond, Alex Trowers, Ben Carter and Glenn Corpes about the project which was sadly never to be and never picked up by any publishers at the time.
Just seeing all the Halloween posts today, I wondered if there were that many Halloween/Horror related games in the GTW archive, so decided to have a bit of a delve and was quite surprised just how many cancelled titles there were.
So here is a quick post to share and highlight 25 Horror/Halloween themed games we have covered over the years:
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 8 page story about the unreleased Gazza 2by Active Minds for the Amstrad GX4000. We spoke to Adam Waring, Chris Pink, David Colley, Julian Rignall, Matthew Regan, Paul Clansey, Rik Yapp, Richard Leadbetter, Simon Butler, John Pickford and Ste Pickford about the development and reviews that were made. The book also contains a number of specially re-pixelled screenshots by Trevor Storey from grainy screens shown in various magazine reviews of the time.
Thanks to @nearvanaman for the heads up. An entry has been available for some time over at the Hall of Light. Due for release in late 1993, this was to be a game based on the table top role-playing game by Iron Crown Enterprises and partly on the William Gibson novels. Viewed within a fully 3D perspective with an adjustable head-up-display that you view the world through.
The game was to be a mixture of role playing, puzzle and live action, controlled completely through the use of a mouse. Sort of a mix of Mercenary and Cybercon III at the time. Cyberspace was previewed in many magazines of the time, and looked incredible. A game that was potentially ahead of its time and which excited those who got a glimpse of it in action.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 12 page story about the unreleased Waterworld by Software Creations/Interplay for the 3DO and Sony PlayStation platforms. We speak to designer/producer Ste Pickford and developers Carleton Handley (PlayStation) and Peter Scott (3DO) about the game and its troublesome development.
Whilst working and researching on the write up for Virtua Hamster for the Games That Weren’t book, we were loaned a bunch of assets from David A Palmer for the book and later website. Part of the archive was a SEGA product catalogue which advertised Virtua Hamster.
It’s possible that it has already been digitally preserved, but we have scanned it just in case and have made it available here – showing a glimpse of many titles from SEGA for a variety of platforms, including Game Gear, Saturn, 32X and Mega Drive – even Pico too. There are likely a few other unreleased titles listed within the pages too. Enjoy! Continue reading →
As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are adding assets and content that didn’t make it to print as bonus DLC content to share with you. Images are (c) David A. Palmer and used with permission. With thanks to Eric Quakenbush for the additional scans provided.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 16 page story about the unreleased Virtua Hamster by Peakstar/SEGA for the 32X and Saturn platforms. We overall speak to designer Eric Quakenbush, producer David A Palmer, lead developer Nick Kimberley, associate producer/artist Ben Palmer, artist Roddy McMillan and musician Paul Tankard – getting their recollections about the project.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 8 page story about the unreleased Spitfire Fury by The Fourth Dimension for the Acorn Archimedes. A title where very little light has been shed until now. We speak to lead developer Andrew Hutchings, polygon creator Mark Ferguson and loading screen artist Stephen Scott. The book contains a number of specially re-pixelled screenshots by Trevor Storey from grainy screens shown in the game’s magazine advert.
Sadly Andrew no longer had anything of the game, so this is a short bonus DLC post – but during our research he provided us with a few photos and scans from that time. We also purchased an Archimedes magazine to make a hi-res scan of the game’s advert and screenshots, which you can find below in our gallery.
It is still hoped that a copy will some day surface from a bizarre source.
Gallery
1st extracted screenshot showing the main Spitfire.
Screenshot showing a dog fight.
Another angle screenshot
Showing some of the runway
Tracking camera view.
Unused loading screen by Stephen Scott.
Advert showing a smaller box out of the game.
Main advert shown of the game at the time with a series of screenshots.
Chocks Away – the game which Spitfire Fury would build upon.
Mark Ferguson working on the planes for Spitfire Fury.
Andrew when he was 16
Andrew from around 2018 time.
Local newspaper article on Andrew’s later development.
A quick entry post for a football management game that was due for release by non other than Team 17 back around 1997/98 time – thanks to Niklas Lindholm for the heads up.
The game was to be released for PC, Mac and Amiga and was to be an an online/play by mail football management game, and was even beta tested by Niklas at the time. It was possibly one of the first online football management games that was developed alongside Soccer Nation that we recently covered.
It just seems to have completely disappeared though and its unsure if it evolved into something else. We’re hoping to get hold of someone from Team 17 to clarify exactly what happened. All that exists at the moment are remnants from the old website, which Wayback machine sadly didn’t capture images from. There are also some news items about the game, where we’ve managed to grab some screens. See below.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 16 page story about the unreleased Dick Special by Rainbird for the Commodore Amiga (and briefly Atari ST). However, the story extends beyond the Rainbird title, and covers further developments for Activision and Miracle Games over a 5 year time span. A complex timeline of events which has been untangled and carefully put together. The book includes a number of specially re-pixelled screenshots based on those shown in the magazines of the time.
A slightly rarer screenshot and a different outdoor scene from ACE magazine, issue 2. (c) Future Publishing.
Within the book is an in-depth and detailed 16 page story about the unreleased Deathwatch by Data Design Interactive for the Atari Jaguar platform. A title where very little light has been shed until now. We speak to second lead developer Ben Whitlock, designer John Court, artist Richard Priest, musician Darren Wood, producer Eamonn Barr and also include input from Dale Johnstone, Stewart Green and Simeon Hankins.
The game originally had a working title of “Bug” and was a multi-directional 2D platformer with beautifully painted and scanned backgrounds – sort of like Rayman, but with inspirations from run and gun titles such as Midnight Resistance and Super Contra. It was a concept from the brains of designer John Court, and which DDI took a real shine too from his sketch book concepts.
An early mock up with the main character on a painted and scanned background.
As well as the complete timeline of events and quotes from the developers, the book includes a series of specially re-pixelled screens from grainy screenshots and utilizing sprites that were recovered during research into the game. We were fortunate to have been provided with a series of art assets from the game, including concept sketches thanks to the combined efforts of John Court, Richard Priest and Ben Whitlock. Many of which there wasn’t space to include in the book, so here they are for you now and previously unseen.
As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are adding assets and content that didn’t make it to print as bonus content to share with you.
Although the story of Daffy Duck is well documented on GTW for the Commodore 64, within the book is a detailed 12 page full story that covers all of the planned versions due. We speak to Ashley Routledge, Alan Benson, Ben Walshaw, Craig Wight, David A Palmer, David Saunders, Gary Antcliffe, Nigel Speight, Paul Tankard, Pete Frith and Richard Morton to tell as complete a story that we can about what happened to the game across all formats, not just the C64 edition.
Whilst doing research for the other versions, we were overwhelmed by the recovery of many assets for the Amiga version, thanks to graphic artist Richard Morton. However, it was the video footage of the Amiga version that was a big surprise in the absence of the game itself, recovered from an old VHS tape by David A Palmer:
As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are adding assets and content that didn’t make it to print as bonus content to share with you.
Within the book is a detailed 6 page full story about the unreleased Heart of Yesod by Eldritch the Cat. We speak to developer Steve Wetherill and artist Colin Grunes about the very brief development. There are also two wonderful mock-up artist impressions of how the game could have looked, thanks to artist Trevor Storey.
Below is the complete original game pitch and details which were provided by Steve during our research, which outline the storyline to the game and other specifics. Part of the details were shown in the book, but these are all the pages. There are also some photos of the Eldritch the Cat team which didn’t quite make it to print, and which were provided with permission from Mark McCubbin.
Sadly the early prototype produced on the Atari ST has yet to be found, and could well be completely lost to time. If Steve/Colin manage to find it – then we will be sure to add it to the site and on this page in the future.
Gallery
Outline document page 1
Outline document page 2
Outline document page 3
Photo 1 of the Eldritch The Cat team courtesy of Mark McCubbin. Left to Right: Dave Collins, Mark McCubbin, Stefan Walker, Marc Wilding and Steve Wetherill
Photo 2 of the Eldritch The Cat team courtesy of Mark McCubbin. Back row left to right: Steve Wetherill, Marc Wilding and Stefan Walker. Front row left to right: Mark McCubbin and Dave Collins
DISCLAIMER: We are a non-profit digitisation project, aiming to digitally preserve software and history which would otherwise be lost for good. If for any reason there is anything that you do not wish to be on the website, please contact us for removal.
