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.

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S.U.B

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1993 Thalamus

Platforms: Commodore Amiga and PC

A short entry for a title due for release by Thalamus on the Amiga and PC late into the publisher’s life (thanks to Kevin Tilley for flagging this one up to cover). This was a cool looking strategy game set underwater, and had previews released for the Commodore Amiga that can be checked out.

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The game was reviewed by several magazines during late 1993, but sadly the collapse of Thalamus would see the title caught up in the mess. Screenshots and links to the reviews can be found here: http://hol.abime.net/2163. Does anyone know where the real screenshots have come from? (we’d love to add the demo here if there is one). Continue reading →

Posted in: Commodore Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | 4 Comments

The Last Starfighter

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1984 Atari

Platform: Arcade

As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are gradually adding assets and content that didn’t make it to print as bonus content to share with you. Check out our growing Bonus Content page for more materials added over time.

Whilst covering Captain Seahawk, developer Mike Albaugh kindly shared a joke asset that was to be included in the cancelled Last Starfighter arcade that he was a part of, and which is one my favourite films of all time. Continue reading →

Posted in: Arcade, Atari, Bonus, Reviews | Tagged: | 7 Comments

Captain Seahawk

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1978 Atari

Platform: Arcade

As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are gradually adding assets and content that didn’t make it to print as bonus content to share with you. The book contains a detailed 6 page full story about the unreleased 1970’s Atari arcade, Captain Seahawk – talking to those involved in the development, with input from Mike Albaugh, Dave Stubben and Dan Moss. Check out our growing Bonus Content page for more materials added over time.

At the time, no-one sadly had anything relating to the game (based on part of the VCS title Air-Sea Battle), or at least wasn’t able to find anything at the time of writing. Instead, we included some artist impressions to show how the game could have looked. Just before publication however, Mike managed to find the mock up produced for the banner art that was to be produced for the cabinet (Click for full size):

Continue reading →

Posted in: Arcade, Atari, Bonus, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Green Lantern

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1991-1995 Ocean Software

Platforms: Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, SEGA Mega Drive and Super Nintendo

As part of the launch and release of The Games That Weren’t book, we are gradually adding assets and content that didn’t make it to print as bonus content to share with you. The book contains a detailed 14-page full story about the game’s various developments, talking to many people involved in the different iterations undertaken. Check out our growing Bonus Content page for more materials added over time.

Below are a selection of character concept sketches, sprites and screenshots, most never seen until now, which have been kindly provided thanks to artists Mike Marshall, Ray Coffey, John Lomax and John Reitze to share with you.

We have also recently added saved SPC files for the music (just 2 segments seem to be present) from the recovered prototype, which you can download below.

Continue reading →

Posted in: Atari, Bonus, Commodore Amiga, Mega Drive / Genesis, Nintendo, Reviews | Tagged: | 5 Comments

Early various C64 screens and G-LOC development

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

With many thanks to Martin Inter, a number of early screens from actual released C64 games such as G-Loc, Dragon Ninja, Batman The Caped Crusader and Hammerfist have been added to this page. These show different sprites (in the case of Dragon Ninja), panels (Hammerfist). in game graphics (Batman) and vastly different and unused scenes (G-Loc). Continue reading →

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

Paradroid 90 and Total Recall (Graftgold)

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

With thanks to Ross Sillifant, it has been highlighted from a MEGA Power interview with Steve Turner that a PC Engine edition of Paradroid was once in production, as well as a unknown console edition of Total Recall.

Paradroid 90 was being produced right up until Hewson sadly collapsed, and then Total Recall would get the same issues when Mirrorsoft/ImageWorks went under in a bad sequence of events for Graftgold. Eventually, it was their conversion of Bitmap Bros’ Gods to the Sega Mega Drive which would result in their breakthrough onto console platforms in the early 1990s. Continue reading →

Posted in: Mega Drive / Genesis, PC Engine, Reviews | Tagged: | 3 Comments

Hellraiser

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1990 Color Dreams

Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari Lynx and Sega Mega Drive

Just a short entry for a cancelled film title that was due for release on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari Lynx and Sega Mega Drive. It was to apparently feature an ambitious Wolfenstein style engine.

However, it was to be achieved using a special SuperCartridge on the NES that would have an extra processor and allow for better graphics and sound capabilities as well. The Lynx and Mega Drive were no doubt already powerful enough to do the game that Color Dreams had anticipated. Ross Sillifant kindly dug out an advert for the game, as well as a brief article that talks about the Super Cartridge technology. Continue reading →

Posted in: Atari Lynx, Mega Drive / Genesis, Nintendo, Reviews | Tagged: | 2 Comments

Blue Vault

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

2004 Elixir Studios

Platform: PC

Due originally for release in Q4 of 2005, this was to be a sequel to Republic: The Revolution. “Blue Vault” the working title of the game. The development would consist of an 18-strong development team, and had been under way for around 6 months at the time of PC Zone magazine showing off the game in May 2004. Continue reading →

Posted in: PC, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Treasure Tails

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1993 SEGA

Platform: Sega Mega Drive

Graphic artist Craig Stitt has recently been putting up a lot of brilliant unseen materials from his SEGA days, and has today just added a video showing screens from another Sonic related title called “Treasure Tails”, featuring Tails as the main protagonist:

Unfortunately Craig doesn’t recall much about it. Just how far it got, we’re not sure – but it would be wonderful if something playable could be found of this isometric puzzle title. However, the screens shown are confirmed by Craig to be mock ups, so they probably never progressed any further. Continue reading →

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

Star Control III

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1996 Accolade

Platforms: Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation

A short entry for now on what sadly was to be an abandoned conversion of Star Control III for both the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation platforms. The game was eventually released on the PC and Mac. There is a pretty decent article about the game at http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/star-control-3/

There was some brief press at the time talking about the conversions, and here are some scans for now from Sega Pro magazine (August 1996) that talk about the conversion to the Saturn (thanks to Ross Sillifant). Continue reading →

Posted in: Reviews, SEGA Saturn, Sony PlayStation | Tagged: | Leave a comment