The announcement of a cool game from a well-known developer is always a celebration for any gamer. True, sometimes it happens that igrodely overestimate their strength - and then we get either a cropped version of the original promises, or we get nothing at all. Unfortunately, the latter is also often the case. We've compiled a list of the potentially coolest games that never saw the light of day for stupid reasons.
Star Citizen
- Announce date: October 10, 2012
- Developer and Publisher: Cloud Imperium Games
- Genre: space simulator, first-person shooter
- Initially promised release date: 2016
More than ten years have passed since the announcement of Star Citizen, and the amount spent on it has exceeded $ 500 million (about 37 billion rubles). The space simulator was presented not only as an MMO with fantastic combat, a complex economy system, and complete freedom of action but also promised a rich campaign for a single player. However, little is known about this at the moment.
To date, there is no estimated release date, nor any plot details. Simply put, the players do not know what awaits them at all, and pay for a “pig in a poke”. By the way, the project is going to be published with this money, and not with the help of the publisher.
The reason why this happened is quite simple: the Cloud Imperium Games studio overestimated its capabilities and, after the announcement, admitted that the progress in creating video games had not yet reached the level to realize everything that was planned. But still, the company assures that the game is in the active development stage, and sooner or later the light will still be seen.
Fable Legends
- Announcement date: August 20, 2013
- Developer: Lionhead Studios
- Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
- Genre: Action-RPG, Adventure
- Initially promised release date: October 2015
Fans of the Fable series were delighted when in 2013 there was an announcement of a new part of their favorite game. Unfortunately, the joy did not last long, as Lionhead Studios, which was under the wing of Microsoft at that time, announced its closure.
Why did this happen? There are not many details, however, apparently, Microsoft considered the game not ambitious enough. Dissatisfied fans of the series, alas, could not influence the decision.
The funny thing is that after some time, work on the series was transferred to Playground Games, which announced the imminent return of Fable. But the developer company is also in no hurry to disclose details, blaming either the engine, or its inexperience, or something else for slow development.
Star Wars 1313
- Announcement date: May 31, 2012
- Developer and Publisher: LucasArts Entertainment
- Genre: Action Adventure, Shooter
- Originally Promised Release Date: Unknown
Everything here is quite prosaic. In 2012, LucasArts worked hard on the game (which was supposed to be the main character, by the way, Boba Fett), and in 2013 there was a deal between LucasFilm and Disney.
Alas, Disney not only closed the project but also disbanded the LucasArts team, wanting to redirect resources to more interesting projects for them. Considering the current reputation of the company among Star Wars fans, this decision can be called reckless.
In 2022, a gameplay video from the canceled game was published, which caused even more regret: the world has lost, apparently, a real hit.
Divinity: Fallen Heroes
- Announcement date: March 27, 2019
- Developer: Larian Studios, Logic Artists
- Publisher: Larian Studios
- Genre: TRPG
- Originally Promised Release Date: November 2019
Divinity: Original Sin 2 has made a lot of noise since its release. Moreover, she was even predicted the title of "Game of the Year" according to all gaming publications, if in 2017 Larian Studios had not been prevented by the fresh The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. One way or another, the developers decided not to despair, and therefore soon announced Divinity: Fallen Heroes, which was supposed to continue the story of the main characters. Work began in conjunction with Logic Artists.
And after a while, this is how it turned out: both companies announced their excessive workload, too heavy development, and other things that they could invent, and froze the project, each focusing on their own affairs. As a result, nothing has been heard about Divinity: Fallen Heroes since 2019. It's a pity.
The Elder Scrolls 6
- Announcement date: June 11, 2018
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Genre: Action-RPG
- Originally Promised Release Date: Unknown
There are legends about this game. Some have already lost all hope of seeing it, while others continue to anxiously wait for a new trailer at every E3. Since 2018, however, there has been no news.
It is possible that after the release of Starfield, there will still be some news, but, as practice shows, it is better not to trust Bethesda in such matters. Well, there is nothing to despair! At least we can be sure that sooner or later we will see Skyrim 2.
Project LMNO
- Announcement date: 2010
- Developer and Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Genre: Action Adventure, Shooter
- Originally Promised Release Date: Unknown
This game has become known for being developed in collaboration with Steven Spielberg (Steven Spielberg). Alas, this did not save Electronic Arts Los Angeles from collapse. The fact is that in terms of gameplay, the game was very similar to Mirror's Edge. And if everything was fine there, then the developers of Project LMNO started to fall out of their hands. I wanted incredible variability of actions, and parkour, shootouts, and a twisted plot - everything in general. As a result, the publisher gave its vote to Mirror's Edge, and Project LMNO was closed.
The funny thing is that Electronic Arts itself commented, they say, they don’t want to release new games now (it was 2010). Probably, they decided then to focus on the development of the next catalog for The Sims 3.
Ares
- Announcement date: never announced
- Developer and Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
- Genre: first person shooter
- Originally Promised Release Date: Unknown
Blizzard started the development of a Starcraft shooter many times - and turned off just as many times. The game, codenamed Ares, was made on the Overwatch engine - they say, it's faster. There were even ready-made gameplay prototypes in 2017, although development progressed, let's say, not very smoothly.
As a result, Blizzard again decided to close the project for unknown reasons - the company refused to comment. But, it’s worth noting that Overwatch 2 was announced soon enough after that, so it’s not difficult to guess.
Silent Hills
- Announce date: August 12, 2014
- Developer: Kojima Productions
- Publisher: Konami
- Genre: survival horror
- Initially promised release date: 2016
The demo for the upcoming Silent Hills is known to have been a gamble by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. The demo was very quickly received by fans, but the game was canceled anyway, so much so that PT was even removed from the PlayStation games catalog.
The reason for everything was the conflict between Konami and Hideo Kojima. There are many versions, one of which claims that Kojima-san did not want to use the Fox Engine, and this became the basis for the cancellation of the game.
It is difficult to say what really happened there, but the Genius was indeed soon fired from Konami and concentrated on the production of his own games. Guillermo del Toro limited himself to unflattering remarks towards the Japanese publisher.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
- Announce date: May 28, 2008
- Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Genre: Action Adventure, Shooter, Fighting
- Originally Promised Release Date: Unknown
Beyond Good and Evil 2 was announced back in 2008, but hasn't been released yet. However, it has not been cancelled. Ubisoft either abandoned development or denied it and swore that closed alpha tests were even taking place inside the company.
Insider Tom Henderson (Tom Henderson) commented on this: "it is unlikely that the game will be released in the next two years, the development team does not have a single creative concept and direction." Well, at least the fans of the first part still have hope to see it someday.
Half-Life 2: Episode Three
- Announcement date: May 22, 2006
- Developer and Publisher: Valve
- Genre: Action Adventure, Shooter
- Initially promised release date: end of 2007
The Half-Life series can be called long-suffering. The memes that exist about Half-Life 3 cannot be counted, although some fans, even after Half-Life: Alyx, do not stop believing in the best.
Nevertheless, if no one even announced the third part, then Half-Life 2: Episode Three had quite a specific announcement in 2006. Nothing good, as you might guess, it did not end: the game was canceled. There were many reasons and comments: unwillingness to do it “just like that” and “for a quarterly report”, dissatisfaction with the developments, and the company's decision to move in the other direction. Gabe Newell even clarified which side it is, citing Team Fortress 2 as an example.
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Although this top lists not only canceled projects, but also those that have been constantly postponed over the years, we can say with confidence that none of them would be bad. On the other hand, perhaps the rejection of this or that game gave rise to another development, which later became a hit. And which game from our selection were you waiting for the most? Or maybe you are still waiting.
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