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There are few things in the gaming world more heart-wrenching than hearing that a game you’re dying to play has been snatched away before it ever sees the light of day.
One of the most painful examples isStar Wars 1313, a game that promised much but was tragically canceled before we could even get a taste. It isn’t the only game that left a void in our hearts, as plenty still haunt us with what could have been.
Whether it was the thrill of hunting bounties in the depths of Coruscant or battling massive dragons, each of these games had potential and was eagerly anticipated by tons of fans.
Let’s take a painful walk down memory lane and revisit five canceled video games we still wish made it to their release date.
5) Star Wars 1313
This game still hurts to think about. Unveiled at E3 2012, it was an ambitious project set in the seedy underworld of Coruscant, specifically in Level 1313—a dangerous, crime-ridden district far below the surface.
Star Wars 1313was going to focus on a young Boba Fett and promised a more mature, darker experience. A Developer Diary video showed the video game running in 64-bit mode on Unreal Engine 3, so quite a bit of work had been done on it.
Just as quickly as the hype built up, it came crashing down. In 2013, Disney acquired Lucasfilm, but LucasArts was said to be continuing development for the game. That dream was eventually short-lived, as the project was put on hold after most of the studio was laid off.
On the bright side, the director of the game, Dominic Robilliard, was recruited byUncharted‘s Amy Hennig for herStar Warsgame at Skydance New Media. It’s a small silver lining.
This title was supposed to be a follow-up to the 2006 cult classicPrey. Unlike the original, though, this project was taking the series in a bold new direction.
Announced in 2011,Prey 2was set to be an open-world, first-person shooter where players would assume the role of Killian Samuels, a U.S. Marshal turned bounty hunter on an alien planet called Exodus.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what this game was going for, as for most of its lifetime, it was just a vague bunch of ideas. At one point, it would’ve picked up after the gravity-based gameplay of the first game.
After Zenimax acquired its rights, the game promised a vast, vibrant world filled with lots of activities to do, somewhat taking cues from the release ofRed Dead Redemptionwhich had just been released at the time.
Development issues plagued the project, with reports of internal conflicts between developer Human Head Studios and publisher Bethesda. By 2014, it was clear that the game was not going to see the light of day, and Bethesda officially canceled it.
3) Scalebound
This was one of those games that seemed too good to be true, and unfortunately, it was.Scaleboundwas an action RPG that put players in the shoes of Drew, a young man bonded with a massive dragon named Thuban.
Together, they would battle their way through Draconis, a world filled with enemies, both on foot and in the skies.
Development on the game began in 2013 by PlatinumGames. The project was quite ambitious from the start. Some interesting aspects include a planned 4-person co-op mode, Drew being able to shapeshift into a half-dragon, dragon-riding mechanics, and more.
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It was given an official announcement at E3 2014, and gameplay was shown at Gamescom 2015. A release date was set for 2016, before being delayed to 2017, and then eventually cancelled the same year.
While the exact reasons are unknown, but Director Hideki Kamiya mentioned in an interview later on that the development team wasn’t experienced enough to create a title like this.
2) Silent Hill (P.T.)
When it comes tocanceled games that left a deep scar on the gaming community,Silent Hill—often referred to as its playable teaser,P.T.—is at the top of the list.
Announced in 2014, this was set to be an installment of the iconicSilent Hillfranchise, with Hideo Kojima, Guillermo del Toro, and actor Norman Reedus all attached to the project.
The game’s teaser was a masterclass in psychological horror, offering a terrifying, looping experience that was so successful it went viral. Despite the overwhelming excitement surrounding the project, it never worked out.
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In 2015, Konami and Kojima had a very public falling out, leading to the cancellation of the game andP.T.‘s removal from the PlayStation Store. The news was devastating, and many still haven’t recovered, loudly wishing on social media that it somehow gets another chance.
1) Dirty Harry
This game was based on the iconic film series starring Clint Eastwood as the tough, no-nonsense cop, Harry Callahan. The game was supposed to continue the story of the 1972 filmDirty Harry, with Eastwood lending his voice and likeness for the game’s protagonist.
Despite having a promising concept and the involvement of such a legendary actor, the game never made it past the development stage.
Loose Cannon Studios proposed the concept to Warner Bros in 2006. After receiving the green light, it began development under The Collective. It included an innovative game mechanic, where AI-driven NPCs would react to the player’s actions, influencing how crooks and police would interact with them.
A year later, the game was canceled because of rushed development and budgetary issues that might’ve arisen from a major studio transition at the time.
These five canceled games each had the potential to be something special (or completely tank). Unfortunately, we’ll just never know what they were destined for.
Are there any games you resonate with or you think are missing from this list? We’d love to hear all about them in the comments below!
Vibha Hegde
Critic/Gaming Writer
Articles Published :594
Vibha is an avid gamer that has been writing about video games for several years. When they’re not complaining about the lack of a Bloodborne sequel or brushing up on the Yokoverse lore, Vibha is busy watching 3-hour video essays on horror games they’re too scared to play themselves.
