Video game development has been through some tough times lately. Studios are being closed at an unprecedented rate, as seen just recently with the shocking closure of Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. Even outside of layoffs, projects are also getting cancelled in large number, with juggernaut Square Enix having recently culled several such games. With all this in mind, it’s starting to look a little scary for several long-awaited games that have been keeping fans waiting.
For now, none of these games are officially cancelled – but in certain cases, the silence from the developers has painted a worrying picture. Some of these games were only officially announced a few years ago, but have had catastrophic setbacks. One in particular has been in the works for longer than some of you readers may have even been alive! So, here are ten games that remain in an uncertain developmental state – and everything that is known or rumoured about them.
Gothic 1 Remake
There’s a certain niche genre of game affectionately named “Eurojank”. This stems from games from European studios, most commonly in the 2000s, that are ambitious and enjoyable, in spite of their many glitches. When this term is brought up, the original Gothic is usually the first game to come to mind. Released in 2001 by German studio Piranha Bytes, Gothic was a critical hit in spite of its flaws. While sequels were not able to match this reception, the original remains popular enough to have seen a Switch port as recently as 2023. The idea of a remake was toyed with in December 2019, when a free playable teaser was suddenly released. Just a couple of months later, publisher THQ Nordic greenlit a full remake.
What happened? While the team at the new studio Alkimia Interactive have communicated that development has been on schedule, no gameplay has been shown as of yet. An in-engine trailer was debuted in August of 2023, but with parent company Embracer Group’s recent woes, there is reason to be worried about the future of Gothic. Hopefully the game is near enough to release to escape the axe. Despite the lack of any gameplay, THQ have already felt the need to open pre-orders for a collector’s edition.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Considered by many to be the white whale of delayed games, Beyond Good and Evil 2 remains shrouded in mystery. Mystery as to what the game will look like, and mystery as to how it hasn’t been canned long ago. The original Beyond Good and Evil was a cult hit, but sold poorly. Despite commercial failure, fan demand led to a sequel being confirmed as long ago as 2008. That’s right – as far as development years go, this game can legally drive a car.
What happened? Since the 2008 trailer, development went mostly silent until 2016. This is when former director Michel Ancel began posting new artwork, implying the project had become a prequel. The game was then re-announced, and a new trailer was unveiled at E3 2017. Gameplay was a radical departure, eschewing the older action-adventure stylings for a grand space-faring open world experience. A further cinematic trailer would be shown at E3 2018, but it remains the last showing of the game. Lead director Michel Ancel left Ubisoft in 2020, amidst misconduct allegations. Development has also sadly outlived key members – original protagonist Jade’s voice actress, Jodi Forrest, passed away in 2017, while creative director Emile Monrel passed in July of 2023.
Between the apparent scope creep, and loss of key staff, the game appears unlikely to release. Still, bear in mind, fellow Ubisoft title Skull and Bones saw similar development woes and delays, but finally saw the light of day this year – for better or for worse. In the meantime, however, a remaster of the original game has been announced. Included is a new mission that is meant to connect to Beyond Good and Evil 2 – perhaps its greatest sign of life in 6 years.
System Shock 3
Fans of Bioshock, Dishonored or Prey can trace the inspiration to one clear root: System Shock. The classic series, which received a remake of its first entry quite recently, kickstarted the immersive sim genre. After a solid first outing and an even more well-regarded sequel though, the franchise simply vanished. Creator Warren Spector would soon go on to make the equally beloved Deus Ex not long after, while System Shock 2 director Ken Levine would streamline the ideas behind the series into what’s now known as Bioshock. Despite it all, the series that inspired its successors never lived long enough to compete with them.
(Content warning: the below trailer features blood and violent scenes)
What happened? There were a few attempts to get the series back off the ground for the 21st century. One such attempt was initiated in the early 2000s, but the release of Resident Evil 4 swung it more towards the survival horror direction. You and I now know this game as none other than Dead Space – and the rest is history on that front. In 2015, however, Otherside Entertainment (creators of Underworld Ascendant) got the rights from owner Nightdive Studios to make a third entry, with original producer Warren Spector returning. The game was coming along well, reacting to fan input and adjusting things accordingly between trailers. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic led to Otherside laying off several key members of the team, leaving the project in limbo. As of now, it’s said that Otherside are no longer involved, with rights to System Shock 3 now belonging to Tencent. An odd choice, to be sure – and what Tencent will do with the rights, if anything, is anybody’s guess.
Knights of the Old Republic: Remake
When it comes to Bioware, it’s hard to pick out their true magnum opus. From Baldur’s Gate 2, to Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins or sleeper hit Jade Empire, their library is a veritable mountain range of peaks. One common choice, however, is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It brought the spotlight to beloved characters such as Darth Revan, who persists despite the game no longer being canon. A standout RPG of its time, the 2021 PlayStation Showcase had fans elated with news of a remake.
(Credit to IGN for the trailer upload)
What happened? Sadly, that one brief cinematic trailer is all that’s ever been shown – and even that’s been removed since. Taking on the unenviable task of making a modern AAA remake of a huge, beloved RPG was Aspyr. Thing is, they were historically a porting studio, not much of a game development studio of its own. To take on the task, many new hires were made – a lot of them ex-Bioware. However, at some point, the project leads were suddenly fired, and most of these hires bled out in their wake. Aspyr’s parent company, Embracer Group, then moved things to Saber Interactive – who as you may know, recently bought themselves out of there. Saber’s CEO claims they took KOTOR Remake with them, and remain surprisingly optimistic as to its status – as hard to believe as it may be. May the force be with them.
Project G.G.
As a fan of Japanese superheroes myself, this one was looking near and dear to my heart. Announced as the third part of Hideki Kamiya’s trilogy of superhero games, Project G.G. was something new and different. Straying from the Kamen Rider-inspired Viewtiful Joe, and Super Sentai-styled The Wonderful 101, Project G.G. was poised to be Kamiya’s take on the other legendary tokusatsu hero – Ultraman. Featuring a protagonist who can grow to enormous sizes, PlatinumGames would have you fight kaiju over huge cities. To put it simply, imagine a game about wrestling with Godzilla, by the people behind Bayonetta. What more could you want?
What happened? Since that first cinematic reveal trailer…nothing, save for a tease in Bayonetta 3‘s reveal trailer. Kamiya discussed the state of the project a handful of times in interviews – which implied scope creep had hit it. Another hurdle was the drive from Platinum to self-publish their original IP going forward. Project G.G. was to be one of the first big steps in this direction – but now it may never arrive at all. In September 2023, Kamiya suddenly quit PlatinumGames, and left no hint as to where the future of Project G.G. lies. Platinum have remained silent on the matter, but without the passion of its creator, I can only assume the worst has befallen it. Still, at least Ultraman fans still have Netflix’s new Ultraman: Rising movie to enjoy during the long wait for news.
Tekken X Street Fighter
No, this didn’t actually come out. You’re thinking of Street Fighter X Tekken. This is completely different! While the 2012 game Street Fighter X Tekken put the casts of both fighting game supergiants into a Street Fighter game, Tekken X Street Fighter would’ve done the opposite. Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada intended to make a full-on Tekken game featuring the most popular characters from both franchises – but it never panned out.
Credit: Capcom
What happened? As of 2012 – the release of Street Fighter X Tekken – Tekken X Street Fighter was only 10% complete. As years ticked by with little news, and with the poor reception of its sister game, things seemed dire. Harada then stated in April 2016 that the game was now on hold, and was only 30% finished. Even after this, it was repeatedly affirmed that the game was not, in fact, cancelled outright. In June 2021, Harada finally claimed that the game had likely been cancelled. It could finally be put to rest…until Harada later clarified his statement had been mistranslated and that it was still on the table. Well! It was even joked about as recently as EVO 2023 – will this game ever come out? Or is it simply to become development hell’s longest running joke?
Hollow Knight: Silksong
By all accounts the most talked-about game on this list, Silksong‘s long development has become outright memetic. Every single showcase, you can guarantee the Hollow Knight fanbase will watch with bated breath. Initially announced as a DLC for the hit indie game, Silksong grew in scope dramatically. Now, it’s set to be a whole new sequel. With Hollow Knight heralded as a magnificent fusion of the metroidvania and soulslike genres, expectations are astronomical.
What happened? Well, developers Team Cherry have assured that the game is coming along well as of February this year. That being said, nothing new has been shown of the game itself since the June 2022 Xbox Showcase. What hurts even more about that is the fact every game shown there was set to release within the next 12 months – and here we are, two years later. It goes without saying that Team Cherry should take all the time they need to polish it. However, the main sore point seems to be the lack of transparency as to the state of the game. Guess it’s time to replay the original for the millionth time during the continued wait – and if you haven’t given it a try yet, here’s why you absolutely should.
Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate
By all accounts, one of the grandfathers of the JRPG genre. Dragon Quest has a long history, though lack of exposure in the West has long stifled the flow of releases outside of Japan. Fortunately, 2017’s Dragon Quest XI was able to make a much-needed splash, which should hopefully give some much needed momentum. One of the strongest appeals of Dragon Quest is how unashamedly classical it is; a simple, standard turn-based battle system, a timeless artstyle by the late and legendary Akira Toriyama, and still using the same musical leitmotifs since 1986. Dragon Quest XII, however, promised to reinvent things for a change, implying a new combat system and darker tone.
What happened? After an initial logo reveal on May 27th, 2021 (35 years to the day after the launch of the original game) it’s been radio silence. This isn’t entirely new for Dragon Quest, with the HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest III going dark after its reveal 3 years ago. Fortunately, that recently resurfaced during this month’s Nintendo Direct, so there’s hope yet for XII. Unfortunately, during this time, veteran series artist and character designer Akira Toriyama passed away. While his work can be carried on by his understudies, there’ll be a somber air surrounding DQ12 whenever it next emerges.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
Few games define action and adventure quite so honestly as the Prince of Persia series. Beginning as a 1989 platformer game notable for an early use of rotoscoping, most gamers are more familiar with the 2003 reboot by Ubisoft. With great platforming, combat, and a fun protagonist (that marked the voice acting debut of future Spider-Man, Yuri Lowenthal), it was an instant classic. Even after several sequels and attempted reboots, none have raised the bar moreso than Sands of Time. With such a status, a remake seemed like the perfect way to bring the series back after a long rest.
What happened? After some rumours, a trailer for the remake was debuted in September of 2020. It was…rough, to be as generous as possible. Visuals looked a full generation behind, and fans quickly made their disappointment known. Scarier still, the release date was February 2021, just 5 months later. Then, just 2 months before release, this date was pushed back to March. Then in February, Ubisoft mercifully put it on indefinite hiatus. In 2022, development was then restarted from scratch at Ubisoft Montreal, with further updates given in 2023. Save for some screenshots, nothing has been shown of the game at all since that ill-fated 2021 trailer. Even at this year’s Ubisoft Forward, all that was shown was a CGI candle and a 2026 target. If only the Sands of Time were real, maybe Ubisoft would go back in time and just not show that trailer.
Splinter Cell Remake
Ubisoft again? That’s right. If this article had been written earlier, Skull and Bones would’ve probably been here too! But I digress; Splinter Cell is one of the champions of the stealth genre, and is both beloved and missed. Since 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, protagonist Sam Fisher has been condemned to cameo star at best. In December of 2021, Ubisoft announced that the original Splinter Cell was being remade. While the original was a fine game, it’s argued that Chaos Theory was when it got really good. The opportunity to have the original game brought up to that level of quality is certainly a salivating one.
What happened? Only the faintest of whispers. Unlike the woeful story of the Sands of Time remake, no footage or screenshots were shown. A job listing spotted by PSU made reference to updating the story for a “modern audience”, which is vague. Since then, the VR Splinter Cell game announced prior was suddenly cancelled – concerning, as it would’ve been the first new entry since 2013. Later that year, in October 2022, the lead director on the remake, David Grivel, quit Ubisoft. With no word on what’s going on since then, it’s once again a pretty bad time to be a Splinter Cell fan. Or perhaps this is simply stealthy development for a stealth game? I’m not sure if the idea behind method acting applies to game development, but we’ll see! Or not, that’s the point of stealth after all.
Conclusion
These last few weeks have seen several surprises, bad and good. The sudden and unexpected layoffs and studio closures have been a big disappointment for all involved. However, the recent batch of showcases have seen several games in development finally emerge from the gates of development hell. Take the jaw-dropping trailer for Metroid Prime 4, after seven years of worry and wait. I’m sure there’ll be a light at the end of the tunnel for several of the games listed here, but a sign would go a long way.
