Canceled Video Games

Cancelled Title: The Last Guardian
Developer: Team ICO
Might have resembled: The Last of Us, ICO, Shadow of the Colossus
Reason it was cancelled: Technically, it isn't canceled or is it? Who knows?

This title is more of an honorable mention. Nobody really knows when or even if this may ever see a release date.

Cancelled Title: Project HAMMER
Developer: Nintendo Software Technology
Might have resembled: Madd World, Dynasty Warriors
Reason it was cancelled: Unknown

Basically you roam around with a gigantic hammer and smash the **** out of things! Yeah, the Wii could have used more titles like this.

Cancelled Title: Dirty Harry
Developer: Foundation 9, The Collective Inc.
Might have resembled: Max Payne 3, Spec Ops: The Line, Grand Theft Auto IV
Reason it was cancelled: "trouble" at the developer

This was supposed to be one of the most noteworthy licensed titles to release ever, but to no avail. Even the legendary Eastwood himself was lending his voice and likeness to the project. We may never know the answer to the question, "Do you feel lucky, punk?"

How does this not get made, but an inferior title like Reservoir Dogs does? Life's wonders...

Negativity, I have read reports that this game was going to follow the same storylines as the film, so that seems to me like an easy (*ahem* lame) route to go. Weirdly enough, there also was going to be a morality meter that came into play. Makes no sense, right?

Cancelled Title: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Developer: 3DO Games
Might have resembled: Devil May Cry, Hunter: The Reckoning, Darksiders, God of War
Reason it was cancelled: Financial

Just read this selected entry from Wikipedia and tell me that this doesn't sound awesome:

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was to be a video game centered on the actions of several playable characters that are left on earth after the Rapture. These characters were widely different and ranged from a fallen priest to a young stripper and would each have special weapons and abilities specific to themselves.

Fuckin' awesome, right? I think that the subject matter may have limited it's appeal to a niche audience, though. I would be willing to give it a chance, though.

Cancelled Title:Left 4 Dead 2's Cabin in the Woods DLC
Developer: Valve Software
Might have resembled: Left 4 Dead 2
Reason it was cancelled: MGM bankruptcy

This is to amazing to even fathom! Here is a quote by Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard :

"By the way – the game was gonna be amazing. You were gonna be able to play in both the upstairs Cabin in the Woods world and the downstairs "facility" world with all the monsters. Believe me, I HATE all video games based on movies, they always suck, but porting Cabin into Left For Dead felt like the right fit. It pains me that it didn't happen."

Pains my gaming sprit, too.

Cancelled Title: Division 9
Developer: Irrational Games
Might have resembled: Left 4 Dead, DayZ
Reason it was cancelled: Developer was purchased by Take-Two

Read this selected quote and it gives you the whole summary about this sadly cancelled title:

Think a video game version of 28 Days later, Division 9 revolved around a group of survivors stranded in a zombie ravaged city. Set to support co-op gaming, players unlike your run of the mill zombie slaying games, would require building bases and new guns to survive.

I think that this one of the few times that this may have been a positive cancellation. Gamers may not have gotten Left 4 Dead if this actually saw a release date. Oh well, silver lining in everything, I suppose.

Cancelled Title: Sadness
Developer: Nibris
Might have resembled: Eternal Darkness, Fatal Frame
Reason it was cancelled: Unknown

I, honestly, don't know how this title could have turned out. It could have been something over ambitious and amazing or something too artsy and pretentious for it's own good. Reportedly, Sadness never really got past the concept stage.

The concept is an interesting one at least: You play a mother leading her blind child trying to navigate through the Pre WWI Ukraine countryside. Many dangerous things await them along this journey. A quote sums it up best:

It followed a mother/son duo in pre-WW1 Ukraine. Players took control of the mother as she guided her blind son through the vast wilderness of the Ukrainian countryside. Gamers were tasked with protecting their virtual child against mythological creatures and a weakening mental state.

This was supposed to bring back real survival horror games. The themes presented might be a little tough to turn into gameplay. Many games just knew that something this bold would not see the light of day.

Cancelled Title: Highlander: The Game
Developer: Widescreen Games
Might have resembled: Devil May Cry 3, inFamous, Prototype, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Reason it was cancelled: Unknown

This title would have been amazing if it would saw the light of day! Apparently, the title would take place over centuries so the possibility of fighting in the
Roman coliseum to New York's Central Park would be a reality.

Imagine traveling the world, searching for magic runes, badass ancient swords, and other immortals...just to behead them. Being the McCloud that you are normal things that would kill a mere mortal (stabbing, gunshot wounds, impaling, taxes etc.) would only hurt you until you could heal similar to Wolverine. (Ha! Who needs ObamaCare!)

This game would have been fucking great!

Cancelled Title: SNOW (working title, not pictured)
Developer: Frog City Software, PopTop Software
Might have resembled: GTA: Chinatown Wars
Reason it was cancelled: "Hot Coffee" (rumored), studios being merged into Fifaxis

This title codenamed "Snow" would have had the media in a fucking frenzy! You basically play a up and coming drug dealer moving through the ranks to eventually become a kingpin. I, personally, think that this premise in the right hands could have been interesting. I imagine that some of the initial concept of "Snow" landed into GTA: Chinatown Wars' drug dealing mini game.

Sadly, the "Hot coffee" scandal scared publisher Take-Two from further development of the title. Media outlets (like Fox News' outrageous comments about video gaming and the effect that it has on the general public!) loves it when that happens. It shows that video games do not know how to handle controversy well, and eventually buckle against the goddammed pressure.

Please, my fellow development studios, grow a pair. Gamers have learned to fight back, so why can't you stand by your decision to make a controversial title.

Cancelled Title: Six Days in Fallujah
Developer: Atomic Games
Might have resembled: Call of Duty, Spec Ops: The Line, Metal of Honor
Reason it was cancelled: Public outcry

Here is the full story, but if you just want a brief summary, this is my personal opinion about the fallout of this title: We just were not ready for a title that hit so close to home. It is too fresh in memory, and gaming being the youngest forms of entertainment on the block, just didn't know how to react to the backlash. Konomai panicked so they backed out as publisher and Atomic games got left holding a potentially good game, but it contained a loaded subject.

Six Days in Fallujah was an actual event so some may look at it as glamorizing the deaths of real United States service men and women, but I, personally don't see it that way. A matter such as this, without a doubt, has to be handled tactfully with grace and respect. I believe that the video gaming industry is ready for such bold steps in interactive entertainment.

Cancelled Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
Developer: Propaganda Games
Might have resembled: Assassin's Creed IV, Mass Effect
Reason it was cancelled: No exact reason

Although it was officially cancelled in October 2010, this title seems like it happened more recently. Gamers feel the sting of this lost. Could this be...an actually well developed licensed title? A game based in the established universe of Pirates of the Caribbean. The power to be ruthless or merciful was at your fingertips. Imagine the naval battles of Assassin's Creed III-IV and the morale system used in Knights of the Old Republic. What at an amazing action/RPG titles this could have been! At least that is what I hope Armada of the Dammed could have been. This might have been the only thing noteworthy to come out of the Pirates universe since Curse of the Black Pearl, in my opinion.