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Video game development is a grueling task. With the long development cycle in the modern age, there is a lot of pressure on a studio to deliver. From the moment they showcase the announcement trailer up to launch, studios must ensure their game goes through all stages of development with minimal hiccups.
With the added social media pressure, the process has only gotten tougher. Not able to keep up their promises or running into problems, games are often canceled and shelved forever. Fans are left wondering what could have been as some titles that appear to have great potential are sidelined for other projects.
We looked back and found a few titles that never took off after being announced. This article discusses five video games that were canceled during their development.
5 video games that were canceled after the announcement
1) Scalebound
Presented as one of the flagship Xbox One titles, Scalebound was a huge action role-playing game where players could ride dragons. Microsoft and Xbox marketed it as the one to dethrone Sony's hegemony over first-party exclusives. But alas, it never took flight.
Scalebound was announced in early 2013, and gamers were instantly sold on the premise. It was one of the last decade's most anticipated games, and gameplay trailers showed off huge action set pieces. The gameplay and visuals might look dated by today's standards, but for the late 2010s, this was groundbreaking.
After spending nearly five years in development, Scalebound was canceled in 2017. The year was originally reserved for launch, but Xbox decided to pull the plug, citing that the game just wasn't fun to play.
The director of the game, Hideki Kamiya, recently apologized to fans in an interview with the YouTube channel Cutscenes, saying that his team didn't have the experience necessary to see the project to completion.
2) Star Wars 1313
The Star Wars franchise has been a part of pop culture across various media for decades now. Video games have also jumped on the bandwagon, with many popular titles carrying the franchise's name. This was also the case back in 2012 as LucasArts took on the development of a third-person Star Wars game.
Titled Star Wars 1313, LucasArts showcased a couple of gameplay trailers that looked reminiscent of Halo and Mass Effect. The game never really garnered much support or attention, as it seemed a little bland and lacked any intuitive gameplay mechanics.
The game was soon canceled the following year after developers abandoned the project, citing technical issues. With better Star Wars titles to play, 1313 is a video game announcement best left forgotten.
3) Gotham by Gaslight
This next entry is an incredibly obscure one. Gotham by Gaslight was going to be a Batman game set in 19th Century England. Day 1 Studios undertook the task of developing this Victorian-era take on Batman, but it never took off since THQ, the game's to-be publisher, could not secure rights for the Gotham by Gaslight storyline or the character.
Gotham by Gaslight does not have any promotional trailers or reveals. The only footage that the developer released is a prototype build of the game containing some character models. The game had a noir, detective aura to it and Batman's character models with various costumes looked authentic.
Gotham by Gaslight never really got off the ground and now remains in the graveyard of forgotten video game announcements.
4) Knights of the Old Republic Remake
Another Star Wars video game that lies dead in the water, the KOTOR remake was supposed to bring the classic 2000s franchise to the modern gaming era. The Knights of the Old Republic games were famed for their attention to detail, immersive gameplay, and mechanics. With the added popularity of the Star Wars name, they were instantly propelled into the video gaming hall of fame.
The Knights of the Old Republic remake was announced at the 2021 PlayStation showcase and was incredibly well-received. While not showing much, the video game garnered an immediate fan following. The KOTOR remake was reportedly going to capture everything that made the games great while adding modern gameplay elements and features.
As of 2023, the title is no longer in development. While there is hope that KOTOR will be remade for the modern gaming era, this iteration of the video game from Aspyr and Saber Interactive will only be a pipe dream.
5) P.T. (Silent Hills)
The last entry is cited as being the best game that never existed. P.T. is a video game that was developed and directed by Hideo Kojima while he was still at Konami. The game was going to be a part of the Silent Hill franchise, but it would take on its own story. Kojima's first foray into the first-person horror genre would take the internet and the world by storm.
The playable gameplay demo released on the PlayStation store was one of the most compelling horror experiences in gaming. In less than 20 minutes, Kojima showcased what he was capable of when directing this dark horror experience, and fans were instantly sold.
As the relationship between Konami and Kojima deteriorated, P.T.'s future hung in the balance. After Konami fired Kojima, P.T. was canned permanently, and the demo was pulled from the PlayStation store. Gameplay footage is only available on YouTube, and P.T. will forever remain one of the best horror games that never was.
For more news about video game announcements, check out this article linked here.
