Cancelled, Unreleased and Lost Video Games for the Commodore 64 Since 1999
Games That Weren't 64 is a dedicated archive of cancelled and unreleased Commodore 64 games, prototypes and lost C64 titles. Since 1999, we have been preserving rare development history, unseen builds and developer insights from the Commodore 64 scene.
Explore a growing collection of unreleased C64 games, cancelled projects and recovered prototypes, alongside developer stories, assets and preservation work. Our non-profit archive aims to document and save Commodore 64 games that were never released, before they disappear completely.
Browse the Commodore 64 archive and discover thousands of lost and unreleased C64 titles.
Today we are adding scans of the long lost Super Barbarian / Barbarian 3 design document by Palace Software from around 1991, detailing levels and gameplay plans. Huge thanks to Dave Arcadian for sharing.
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2020/07/super-barbarian-amiga-st-pc-c64/
Another busy month for the Commodore 64 archive, with a large number of updates (21 to be precise!) and a few bits of preservation which we also posted about separately. Should have some new entries for you soon, including more discoveries!
A multiformat entry where Bertrand / AtariMania helps to highlight a set of missing titles not only for the Commodore 64, but also VIC-20, Atari, BBC Micro and ZX Spectrum.
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/03/startech-lost-hardware-software/
A lost Italian SEUCK effort was preserved thanks to Videogame endings database for sharing and to Minotautus for preserving:
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/03/tora-tora-tora-c64-game-recovered/
One of Gary J Foreman’s first paid pieces of work has been saved, which was done for a nightclub called L’Aristos (which apparently closed in 2001). Gary had lost this work and was very happy to see it again:
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/04/special-fx-tool-recoveries-c64/
A-Team, The, Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes, Bubbles, Chess, Davka Software, Donald Duck’s Bakery, Escape From Colditz, Evil Garden, Final Eclipse, Grand Slam Tennis, I-spy For Children, It’s Rory!, Miss Mouse, Oriental Games, Outrun Europe, Rhyme Land, Sewer Sam, Star Force Seven, Talvisota, Twice Shy, Zambeezi
Something a bit different today, with the recovery of two Special FX tools that were produced by Gary J Foreman, who has worked on many different Grand Theft Auto games over the years, but also created the Commodore 64 conversion of Rainbow Islands.
In a recent interview with FREEZE magazine, Gary revealed that when he first got started on the C64 – he produced a stock control system, but also some video title utilities for a local nightclub that he was too young to attend at the time. Continue reading
This particular entry is closely tied to the Commodore 64 edition of the game, which first helped highlight the project and its unusual origins. For some time, there had been confusion over this title, especially given that Superior Software had already released a Chess game back in 1984. However, this later project was something entirely different, and not simply an update or reworking of the earlier release. Continue reading
A short entry for now thanks to Bertrand / AtariMania, who found a multi-platform advert regarding a light pen and some software from a Liverpool-based company called Startech in 1983.
The advert mentions the light pen coming with free software in a June 1983 advert, but then there is nothing more advertised. The only other mention is in May 1983, where the game is named Concentration. Continue reading
Thanks to the Videogame endings database (V.E.D), we’re adding a lost SEUCK game today with Tora Tora Tora. This came about after our posts were seen for the search for lost Italian SEUCK and homebrew efforts. This game wasn’t on the list, though it is a game that has been missing.
Although often when some of us mess around with SEUCK, the efforts are not particularly great with stick-men like drawings, but Tora Tora Tora is a decent effort with some nice sprites and backdrops. The game itself is a 1942-style game, and even though it suffers from the typical “too fast bullet” syndrome (which I was guilty of doing for some of my own efforts!), it’s worth checking out if you are a fan of the tool. Continue reading
A much larger update for Commodore 64 users this month for GTW64. You will have already seen the release of Bomb Race, though behind the scenes have been a number of new entries for other titles and also updates for others too. Thanks to everyone for their submissions and updates!
Earlier this month, we added a different and unseen build of Bomb Uzal, with Mirrorsoft titles and possible other differences:
We had a number of other new entries and submissions too, some of which we hope were released and just need to be found:
Coma, Hen Pecked, Miss Mouse, Rhyme Land, Ripper, The Bartender
Then finally we have our usual set of updates to existing entries, with a number of findings, scans and new bits of information. Please check the “History” tab for each game to see details of what has changed.
Cavey, Escape, Micrograms, Inc titles, Nightflight, Orbyte Software titles, Oriental Games, Penitentiary, Purple Saturn Day, Quick Eddie, Raid on Romaro , Sewer Sam, Stack Light Rifle games, Talvisota, Zambeezi, Zzap Italia homebrew
See you all next month!
Merlin Enterprises was a mysterious publisher based in Torrance, California that exclusively advertized in Compute! in 1982-83. It seems none of the software titles mentioned has surfaced on any platform, which makes it an even more interesting case.
The first publication in November 1982 lists five games for the Atari 8-bit, Apple 2 and VIC-20:
A nice Commodore 64 curiosity added to the archive today thanks to Nigel Critten, with Bomb Race – an earlier version of Bomb Uzal due for release under the old Mirrorsoft label, before ImageWorks was born, and the game rebranded. A few visual differences present, and there might be more tucked away to discover!
A short entry for a bookware title that was advertised at the CES in Chicago in 1984 from Spinnaker / Windham Classics. Wind In The Willows would have been quite similar in style to Swiss Family Robinson.
We’re not sure how far the game ever got, though there was also a Robin Hood game announced a year later that also never saw the light of day. Seemed to be quite a few titles not released by the company. It seems no version saw release on any platform, but please let us know if we’ve got this wrong.
If you know anything more about the title, please do get in touch.
With thanks to Karl Kuras for highlighting and Archive.org for the scans.
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