From a very unique take on bounty hunting to cool takes on espionage, several excellent ideas have been buried by their studios, with a variety of factors coming into play that didn’t let them see the light of day. We’re taking a look at a few that we would have loved to play, but sadly never got the chance to.

Let’s dive right in.

1. Crackdown 3

While its Wrecking Zone multiplayer mode drew heavily on Microsoft’s bold idea to bring cloud computing to the Xbox One, Crackdown 3 didn’t really catch on the way it should have, despite being a lot of fun. The final product was sadly nowhere close to the high bar that was set for it, with the result being a very destructible city that was largely devoid of the players it was meant to host.

The dream of entire city blocks collapsing in front of you with your console handling core tasks and the cloud rendering all of the destruction just didn’t materialize, and the game suffered for it as a result.

2. Project Milo

This was a tricky one for a long time, with a lot of back and forth about whether it was actually intended to be made into a game taking place between its creators and Microsoft. Still, it would have been cool to see a game with AI actively responding to you and acting on your voice commands.

This was a relationship sim that could have been quite innovative for its time, but it simply faded away into the background amid all the noise surrounding its “release”.

3. Star Wars 1313

We’d be lying if we said that this one didn’t sting a little. For starters, it was supposed to have Boba Fett as its frontman with a fast-paced gameplay loop that relied on gadgets and more traditional weapons in lieu of lightsabers and The Force. As if that wasn’t enough, it was purported to emulate Star Wars Bounty Hunter while bringing a gritty, darker tone to its story.

Sadly, LucasArts never got to make this one a reality, and we never got to explore District 1313 and see what the underbelly of Coruscant had to offer.

4. Silent Hills/PT

A Silent Hill title that was going to feature a collaboration between Hideo Kojima and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (whose horror credentials are quite well known), with Norman Reedus playing its protagonist, sounds like a dream, right? That’s sadly all it was to most of the gaming world, with Konami pulling its playable demo from the PlayStation Store shortly after its cancellation.

All we can do is look back fondly at the supernatural time loop being brought to the table, and of course, shudder at the thought of Lisa constantly lurking out of sight just waiting to jump at us. A Playable Teaser was all this one was ever going to be in the aftermath of Kojima’s exit from Konami.

5. Prey 2

Aside from the obvious draw of an amnesiac protagonist affected by the presence of The Sphere from the first game, the chance to be a bounty hunter on an alien planet while uncovering the truth about his abduction sounded too good to be true. That was probably a valid insight when we look back at this one, with the game’s plans to make you embody a bounty hunter never coming to fruition.

We would have loved the chance to make use of all the agency this one gave us as we took on the role it wanted us to, but all we can do now is smile somberly at what could have been.

6. Scalebound

An action-RPG that gave fans of the Eragon novels a lot to be excited for, this one might have been a legendary title had it actually made its way to its audiences. Getting to command a literal dragon in the heat of battle, and even directly take control of it to unleash its fearsome abilities, is an idea that we’re yet to see even in the current generation of games. And that’s without even considering the co-op potential that the concept could bring to the table.

Its eventual cancellation after years of development is a showcase of how even the best of ideas may not translate to commercially viable titles in the long run.

7. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Patriots

Although this one did make way for Rainbow Six Siege, the thought of being part of a unit led by a morally grey former Navy SEAL against a terrorist group that was willing to impose its own beliefs on New York’s residents had all the makings of a Tom Clancy story that was true to the author’s vision and tone.

However, the decision to cancel the title and scrap this unique concept is a choice that we continue to question to this day.

8. The Lord of the Rings: The White Council

An open-world RPG where you would work under the guidance of the White Council, with its story and themes drawing from both the films and books, sounds like a Lord of the Rings adventure that might have put even Frodo and Sam to shame.

But it seems that the idea was cast into the fires of Mount Doom, and while we do have Shadow of War to help us cope, we can’t help but wish for a Palantir to view what it might have turned out to be if its version of Middle-earth was allowed to take shape.

9. Agent

Set in the Cold War and rumored to place its players at the heart of all of the espionage, political assassinations, and counter-intelligence that the era brought along, Agent was a great idea. Even Sony seemed to think so, locking down its IP with the belief that it could “set the bar for the industry” as per Michael Shorrock, who headed SCEA’s third-party relations at the time.

A stealth-action game with Rockstar at the helm certainly fits that description, but like the agents it aimed to bring to life, this one quietly vanished, presumably sacrificed in order to focus more resources on the development of GTA V.

10. Project Titan

The World of Warcraft killer that spent seven years in development continues to have us wondering whether it might have been able to live up to its lofty ambitions.

Despite the best of Blizzard coming together to bring this sci-fi MMO to life, complete with cool mech suits and rumored superhero-esque powers for its characters, along with a unique twist where you play as a normal citizen of the world by day while battling it out at night, Project Titan was unable to get off the ground. This is a cancellation that still rankles, if we’re being honest.

11. The Last of Us Online

Among the many projects that were cancelled in the aftermath of Sony’s ill-fated live-service push, this one was the most disappointing to us. The concept definitely had its merits, with a massive world filled with The Infected being the perfect stage for a survival-horror gameplay loop, complete with a standalone story to keep things interesting.

Unfortunately for it, the concept was scrapped after concerns about its long-term viability began to rear their head. For our part, we would have played this one for hours on end if it had made its way into our hands.

12. Duke Nukem Forever

While Duke was a hero who was quite clear about where he stood on alien invasions, the creative team behind this one could have emulated his conviction. That wasn’t the case, and this title switched engines during its development so many times that it’s hard to think about the game it was meant to be versus the one that we got.

Its vision was ultimately diluted by a needless focus on technical relevance, and as one of the record holders for being the longest game in development, we can’t help but feel that this was a game that deserved to be greater than the sloppy experience it ultimately devolved into.

13. Final Fantasy Versus XIII

The darker, more gothic take on the franchise was quite appealing when it first came to light, and Prince Noctis was quite an intriguing character. But with Final Fantasy XIII and eventually Final Fantasy XIV constantly dividing the attention of its team, and engine issues caused by the PS3’s aging tech, this one was pulled back and repurposed into FFXV.

When the trailer for the game eventually came around, it felt like it had changed almost completely, ditching its darker tone for something better aligned with the franchise’s overall light-hearted trappings. It would then be a solid five years before XV came out, and Versus XIII quietly vanished from the hearts and minds of its potential players.

14. The Getaway 3

We were quite fond of the original Getaway’s unique way of presenting its world, with the sort of cinematic quality that comes along quite rarely. With its parallel storylines and lack of a HUD and other elements, it was quite immersive and also fun to play as a Sony-backed sandbox. The sequel carried on those traditions, and we were delighted to know that a third title was in the works.

But The Getaway 3 was lost to the annals of time, with its cancellation never actually being announced, but quite clearly understood by the gaming world at large.

15. Deep Down

A sci-fi fantasy co-op adventure that would have its players exploring time-hopping dungeons is something we’re still waiting to see. It doesn’t help that Deep Down had its gameplay drawing inspiration from Dark Souls, which was already among our favorites to begin with.

But its 2013 reveal, and the lack of any concrete evidence of its development over the years has essentially made this once unique concept nothing more than vaporware. We’re holding out hope that it eventually becomes a great game, but we’re not going to hold our breath.

BONUS: Wonder Woman

Monolith’s proprietary Nemesis System, a unique mechanic that worked so darn well in the Shadow franchise, was the perfect way to craft a Wonder Woman story that could really dig into the character’s lore who could defy challenges and come back stronger.

That’s probably why the cancellation of this one continues to be an annoyance to us, as the concept is probably not going to make it to any other titles in the near future.

And that’s a wrap on our picks for great gaming ideas that showed a lot of promise but did not ultimately make their way to their players. Here’s to hoping that we don’t have to make another one of these lists over the next few years, though!

Star Wars: Battlefront 3

Before Star Wars was licensed to EA and the Battlefront name used for a new series of DICE-developed shooters, Star Wars: Battlefront was a hallowed series. Pandemic Studios handled the first two titles and TimeSplitters developer Free Radical Design seemed poised to take the next game to new heights. Star Wars: Battlefront 3 reportedly started development in 2006 but in October 2008, reports of Free Radical Design shutting down emerged (with rights for developing the sequel lost). It was apparently finished by that point but conflicting statements between the studio’s co-founders and an anonymous LucasArts employee point to problems with development. Pre-alpha footage, character renders, models and eventually, a leaked build would surface through the years, reminding us what could have been before Disney eventually took over the Star Wars IP.

Hello Games – No Man’s Sky

Why not start off with arguably one of the most hated developers of the last few years? Hello Games released No Man’s Sky to tremendous fanfare but was immediately drowned in controversy for the lack of certain features like multiplayer. From there, the studio kept its head down, facing death threats and constant anger, before re-emerging with the Foundation update. This was followed by Pathfinder and Atlas Rises, both substantial updates that were also free. Finally, the developer brought full-on multiplayer with the NEXT update along with numerous improvements to base-building, exploration and so on. Community events are also on the cards and more free updates will be coming in the future.

Bethesda and Arkane released Prey, a new, immersive sim reboot of the beloved 2006 game last year; but as great as Prey was, it is well known by now that it had little to nothing to do with the original title. That original title had had a sequel, Prey 2, in development, that was even shown off multiple times before it was ultimately scrapped.

Prey 2017 was a great game—but maybe you are one of the many who wonders what Prey 2 might have been like, if it had been allowed a chance to live. And this new gameplay footage, which shows off the combat from a prototype build, may maybe answer that question for you somewhat. It comes from Digital Games Curator at the Museum of Play in New York, Andrew Borman.

Fans of last year’s Prey, meanwhile, still have plenty to look forward to—developer Arkane has been teasing something related to the game on Twitter, which may indicate new expansions, DLC, or maybe even a full fledged sequel on the horizon.

Seems like a good day to post a short video I was sent from @humanheadgames cancelled Prey 2. Still look forward to the day that I have more to share. #prototypes #prey2 pic.twitter.com/3Fl0lB4puN

— Andrew Borman (@Borman18) March 24, 2018

One of the great big gaming conspiracy theories of our time has been that during the development of Prey 2 – not the upcoming horror shooter named Prey that was announced at E3 this year, and which doesn’t seem to have much to do with the original game or even its concept, mind, but an actual sequel to that game – Bethesda purposefully sabotaged the milestones set for developers Human Head, so that they would miss said milestones, which would in turn enable Bethesda to scoop them up and their IP for a lower price.

However, speaking to Metro, Bethesda’s marketing VP shot the allegations down, noting that they don’t actually make a whole lot of sense (which, to be fair, is true of just about every major conspiracy theory out there), and said that the sequel in development simply hadn’t turned out as Bethesda would have wanted.

“I will simply say this: I don’t know what possible good reason we would have for spending millions and millions of dollars to create something to then suddenly arbitrarily decide, ‘No, we don’t want to actually make our money back off what we’ve put into it’,” he said. “Because we were footing the bill, right? We’re the publisher, we’re paying the developer. We’re putting all the money into it.

“I’m spending my own time taking trips up to Madison, creating brand, creating trailers, putting effort into it, taking it to E3, doing all that stuff. And to take all of that time and investment, and for the notion to be, ‘Oh yeah, for arbitrary reasons we decided to fail the milestones and are just going to wave goodbye to all that and never see any of it returned is the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard.”

Specifically tackling the part of the reports about Bethesda wanting to acquire Human Head for a lower price, Hines said, “We don’t have any real predilection towards acquiring somebody or not We haven’t acquired anybody, that I can remember, in the last five or how many years. I think Tango [the studio behind The Evil Within] was the last acquisition. It’s not like we’re on some acquisition tear.

“We work with third party folks, like with The Elder Scrolls: Legends, like with Quake Champions. We have a perfectly good third party relationship with them. We’re gonna make the game, we’re not acquiring them, we haven’t failed milestones… again, it boils down to one thing and one thing only: we’re in the business of making games and we’re only going to put out and make games that we think raise to a certain level of quality.

“It’s no different to BattleCry, which isn’t anywhere. Isn’t being talked about, and it’s on hiatus because it also wasn’t rising to the level. Just like the DOOM game that we cancelled.”

All of this makes sense, and I have always maintained that the conspiracy theory about Bethesda manipulating Prey 2‘s development milestones was a load of crock. The new, rebooted Prey is due out some time over the next year.

Industry insider shinobi602 shed light on a remaster that Bethesda Softworks is expected to announce at E3 (which leads us to believe it may be The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim) but there’s apparently even more in store at the show, namely Prey 2.

Speaking on MrMattyPlays’ podcast, the insider noted that when Prey 2 is announced at Bethesda’s presser, it won’t have the same name and the game itself has been “re-worked completely.” It will apparently still be similar to System Shock so take that for what it’s worth.

It’s not like shinobi602 has been all that wrong this year though – he revealed that Horizon: Zero Dawn would be delayed into 2017, which Guerrilla Games confirmed recently.

As for Prey 2, the project was cancelled back in 2014 but rumours indicate that Arkane Austin is currently working on it. What could the game be called if it eventually does show up at E3? Stay tuned for Bethesda’s conference on June 12th to find out.

Remember Prey 2, the ill-fated sequel to the reboot from many years ago? Bethesda Softworks was seemingly working on the FPS sequel but announced its cancellation back in 2014. Now it seems that the shooter could be making a comeback of sorts.

Domain names for Prey2.com and Prey3.com have been updated recently and they apparently redirect to an as-of-yet not live Facebook page (which is now inaccessible). Furthermore, fansite Alien Noire revealed that an announcement would be made on June 14th. It would be interesting because Bethesda has its own dedicated conference scheduled for June 12th and we know of only a few games that will be showcased. How June 14th figures into the equation remains to be seen.

At this point, it’s worth taking all these developments with a heaping helping of salt. Bethesda has been known for dragging shooters like id Software’s DOOM out of limbo but can it attempt to give new life to Prey 2? We’ll find out in the coming weeks as E3 2016 draws nearer.

It was recently revealed by Bethesda Softworks, primarily by marketing head Pete Hines, that Prey 2 has been cancelled. Stuck in development hell for quite some time, Prey 2 was to feature a more futuristic presentation compared to the prequel’s alien abduction meets spirit walking motif.

Human Head Studios was initially working on the project but business development director Tim Gerritsen revealed to VG247 that the studio “has not been involved with Prey 2 for some time.

“While we are disappointed that we won’t be able to deliver our vision of the game, we remain proud of our work on the franchise, which we feel speaks for itself, including the award-winning presentation of the game at E3 2011. We enjoyed working with the many talented people at Bethesda, and we wish them all the best of luck with any future plans they may have for the franchise.”

Would you have liked to play Prey 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

As recently as a few months ago, Bethesda was maintaining that Prey 2, the sequel to the unlikely 2006 cult hit shooter, Prey, was still in development, although they absolutely refused to divulge any more information about the project. Perhaps that by itself set off enough warning flags, because today’s announcement does not come off as a shock at all.

That announcement, of course, is that Prey 2 has been cancelled.

Speaking to CNET, Bethesda Vice President confirmed that Prey 2 development has halted.

“It was a game we believed in, but we never felt that it got to where it needed to be – we never saw a path to success if we finished it,” Hines said.

“It wasn’t up to our quality standard and we decided to cancel it. It’s no longer in development. That wasn’t an easy decision, but it’s one that won’t surprise many folks given that we hadn’t been talking about it.

“Human Head Studios is no longer working on. It’s a franchise we still believe we can do something with — we just need to see what that something is.”

Cross this one off the list, folks. You’re never seeing Prey, ever again.

The PC as a gaming platform is at the top of it’s game, with a myriad of game developers, from the big names like EA and Ubisoft, to small indie developers and to the classic and iconic developers like id and Valve Software that have always backed the PC as a solid and reliable gaming platform.

The PC has always been a forerunning in gaming, swapping affordability for flexibility. Power can have it’s advantages if the gamer is willing to put a bit more time and effort into chasing down their favorite hobby. It can certainly get pricey and you’ve got all the overhead and more that comes with any personal computer, but it’s well worth the investment of time and money, specially with products like Steam, and now Valve’s new expansion into their own Operating System and specially branded “Steam Box.” Very soon, gamers won’t even need to drop a small fortune to get a high powered, PC running a new version of Linux. Yes, no doubt, that the up and coming 2014 is going to be an excellent year for PC gaming.

Note: List is in random order.

Eden Star:

Are you into Minecraft, but may want something a bit new? Or may be you are really big space nerd as well. Did you happen to enjoy the hell out of games like Portal and Portal 2? Well then, Eden Star may be a game for you. This first person, survival and world manipulation title, is the ultimate sandbox with a twist. The player can manipulate the environment with what looks like an anti-gravity glove, as well as explore a new mysterious and content with its native population.