Welcome to Games That Weren't!

We are a Cancelled & Unreleased Video games archive with prototypes, developer history and assets for many computers and consoles of all ages. A non-profit large archive dedicated to preserving lost games that were never released to the public. Sharing history and stories from the developers, assets and more before it is too late. GTW has been preserving lost video game history online since 1999, and long before that offline.

Please Browse our archive and discover the many entries that we host for many different platforms.

Latest News and Posts

Monster Muncher

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1983 Spectrum Games

Platform: Commodore Vic 20

Monster Muncher was a simple Pac Man clone due for release on the Commodore Vic 20 by Spectrum Games back in 1983, and was fully advertised too. The ZX Spectrum version was known to see release and had been available for some time – though the VIC 20 edition was missing.

tape top

What is particularly interesting about this title is that it was written by Matthew Smith of Manic Miner fame, and took a few hours or so to write. According to Matthew, he sold the game to a few people himself, but that was it. Though accounts change slightly in a different interview with Matthew.

Thanks to an interview with Paul Drury at Nottingham’s Screenplay Festival in February 2005, we learn more about the origins of the game… Continue reading →

Posted in: Commodore, Commodore VIC-20, Reviews | Tagged: | 5 Comments

Various C64 preservations

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

As well as preserving unreleased games, we also try and preserve titles which are known to be released, but are not yet digitally preserved. We have another two Commodore 64 games for you today, as well as some extras which are unfortunately not working. Click each title to download.

Million Brick 2

MillionBrick

A previously unpreserved SEUCK sequel by Outlaw-Emix Software in 1991 which has been found and recovered by Csaba Virag on some old disks that were very kindly donated by Zsolt Tarczali (who had sent Csaba hundreds of disks for free). When prompted with “:”, enter “VARAZSOL” (without the quotes).

Heli-Maths

helimaths

A currently unpreserved 1984 educational title from Kerian software. It’s listed on Retrocollector.org with some scans, but there is currently no TAP image and its not in Gamebase 64. This was found in a bundle of games (without an inlay sadly) at Level Up Games in Canterbury.

Unknown BASIC files (Not working)

Along with Heli-Maths, I found a few blank cassettes that had some recordings on. They seem to be BASIC programs that were saved – possibly experiments or type-ins from a magazine. Unfortunately, after numerous attempts to try and load – I didn’t have any joy. The above download are a set of DMP files I created on my DC2N and the outputted TAP files. If you can get anything going, please do get in touch.

With thanks to Csaba Virag, Zsolt Tarczali and Level Up Games (Canterbury) for their help with seeing these items preserved.

Posted in: Commodore 64 (C64), GTW64 news, Preservation | Tagged: | Leave a comment

The Last Job

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

2005 Acclaim Studios Cheltenham

Platforms: Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox

Our next entry into the archive is one where very little is known, but today that is about to change at Games That Weren’t with The Last Job. Not only with details about the game, but an exclusive preview build that you can now download and check out for yourself.

lastjob (21)

As time has gone on since the start of the games industry, the size of the games being produced have meant sadly much larger casualties with a larger impact. Games which have had a year or more spent on them with often tens to hundreds of people putting their life and soul into it – just to be discarded. This sadly would be the case with The Last Job. Continue reading →

Posted in: Microsoft Xbox, Reviews, Sony PlayStation 2 | Tagged: | 2 Comments

Cyberdyne Warrior

Posted: by Frank Gasking

1988 Apex Computer Productions / Hewson

Platform: BBC Micro

This may come as something of a shock, but there was a BBC Micro edition of the classic Commodore 64 title Cyberdyne Warrior in development at the same time as that development by the Rowlands brothers.

After working on Scorpius, their next title took the decision to go with a flick screen approach, rather than use scrolling. This was mainly due to the fact that the game was being developed on both platforms, and the BBC Micro didn’t naturally scroll well. Had the Commodore 64 version been the only development, it may well have scrolled! Continue reading →

Posted in: BBC Micro / Electron, Reviews | Leave a comment

Rise of the Robots

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1995 Acclaim Entertainment

Platform: SEGA Master System

A very short entry for now on a Master System conversion of Rise of the Robots that never was – or was it? The game itself is famous for looking amazing, but not playing particularly great.

When you boiled down the graphics onto 8-bit platforms, then you were really in trouble. However, developer Clive Townsend would give it his best shot, but he was really up against it with a poor design to implement.

Rise of the Robots
Palette fixed version of the GG options screen in Master System mode, thanks to Clive Townsend!

Not only was Clive working on the Game Gear edition, but simultaneously he would be developing the game for the Master System too. The only real differences were with the palettes and the screen layouts to adjust for the different size screens. Continue reading →

Posted in: Reviews, SEGA Master System | Tagged: | 6 Comments

GTW64 August 2024 update

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

Well, after a bit of a break there was quite some backlog to clear. Thank you for all the submissions and also kind words about my Dad. This month we have a slightly larger GTW64 update with the following below – which includes many Novotrade concept titles:

19 new entries added

Altair’s Adventures, Butterflies, Chase on Wheels, Countdown 64, Flight Simulator, Hunting with the Columbia, In Search of the Aurora, Mandragore (Spanish edition), Nightmare around the Falklands, The Astronaut Eater, The Flintstones V1, The Blob, Unknown Chinese puzzle game, Unknown boat game, Unknown four-part game, Which one out of Seven, Whuppie Tale, Windsurf, Zoids 2

19 updates added

A stack of updated entries too to keep you busy, and with hopefully some findings around the corner:

Apprentice, Arthur, Ball Breaker, Black Bandit, Born In Space, Centurion Software titles, Cyber Cop, Freewheel Burning, Gremlins: Part 2, Memory Man, Metal Army, Moreta – Dragonlady Of Pern, Ooze, Quark, Software House, Splish Splash, Telmar’s Gold, Unnamed Star Trek game, Zzap Italia homebrew

Posted in: GTW64 news, News | Leave a comment

Apprentice early screens

Posted: by Frank Gasking

A short post to highlight an early Apprentice (Rainbow Arts) screen that was shown in ACE magazine issue 27 on page 110.

Apprentice Difference

Here you can see a screenshot with a different dashboard, without text and as Anonymous Contributor suggests, perhaps an early attempt to get away from localization issues.

Let us know if you find any other early screens for the game and we’ll add them here.

With thanks to Anonymous Contributor for the suggestion and Stephen Stuttard for the high-res scan.

Posted in: Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, Prototype, Unused materials | Tagged: | Leave a comment

ZuckNet

Posted: by Frank Gasking

199? Mark Zuckerberg

Platform: Atari 400/800

Something a little bit different, highlighted thanks to Bertrand / Atari Mania. This was an early utility that was created by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook/Meta fame.

It was a communications/radio/electronics utility which may have only been used at home. However, it is currently missing and not yet digitally preserved.

Mark had apparently created the utility when he was just 12 years old on his Atari 800, and it was used by his family around the house and within his Dad’s dental surgery.

Its very unlikely, but if you have a copy and are able to share to help preserve, then please do get in touch! With thanks to Bertrand/Atari Mania for highlighting.

Posted in: Atari 400/800/XL | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Orion

Posted: by Frank Gasking

1985 Protocom

Platform: Atari 400/800

Apologies to Bertrand / Atari Mania, we’re a little late reporting news of this finding that was made back in March by Philsan / Filippo Santellocco.

orion 2

In 1985 Raph Koster programmed his first ever game – Orion, an Atari Basic game which consisted of five two-players games loaded in succession. He kindly gave Philsan the permission to share the game.

More details about the finding can be found here, and you can also find the Atari Mania entry here with a download too. Continue reading →

Posted in: Atari 400/800/XL | Tagged: | Leave a comment

MetalMorphis

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1992 SEGA

Platform: SEGA Mega Drive

MetalMorphis was to be an off road racing game with a difference, where you would compete in the ultimate rally sport on the SEGA Mega Drive.

The game came to light after Original Video Game Art found the intended box art by John Taylor Dismukes in a 1993 Moore & Price Design calendar – suggesting the game may have been developed into late 1992 at least.

One or two players would compete to make a cross country journey in vehicles of their own design, which are then capable of transforming into gigantic monster trucks. Your vehicles must then fend off assaults from ground based and airborne attackers, and you can also transform into a killer machine and crush all your opponents. Continue reading →

Posted in: Mega Drive / Genesis, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment