Massive Games You Will Never Get To Play

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The continued delays for Grand Theft Auto 6 are disappointing, but it’s not a disaster. It will eventually be released, though there’s no guarantee it will meet everyone’s high expectations. This raises a difficult question: is it better to play a flawed game, or to miss out on it completely?

With these games, we’ll never truly know what could have been, as they were canceled before anyone outside of company leadership had a chance to play or review them. They might have been terrible and let players down, but they also could have been groundbreaking and completely changed the gaming landscape.

Super Mario Bros. 35

A Limited Time Celebration

To celebrate Mario’s 35th anniversary in 2020, Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. 35. This game took the classic Super Mario Bros. and turned it into a fast-paced, 2D Battle Royale experience, exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t available for long. It launched on October 1, 2020, but the service ended on April 1, 2021, meaning the game is no longer playable.

The Last Of Us Online

Expanding The World Of Clickers

  • Developer: Naughty Dog
  • Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
  • Canceled: 2023

Originally announced in 2016, The Last of Us Part 2 was planned to include a multiplayer mode. Naughty Dog confirmed this in 2018, but the game’s release in 2020 was followed by delays and ultimately, the cancellation of the multiplayer component. By 2022, Naughty Dog had decided to develop the multiplayer as a separate, ongoing live-service game, but it was scrapped a year later. All that remains of the project are some concept art and leaked images, though it likely would have played similarly to the single-player campaign.

Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier

A Battle Royale Prequel

Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier was a Battle Royale game set in the world of Final Fantasy 7. Released on mobile devices in 2021, the game served as a prequel, explaining how Shinra Electric Power Company tested and trained candidates for its elite SOLDIER program, fitting nicely into the established storyline.

Players were able to customize their characters and prepare between matches to build the ultimate fighter. Sadly, Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier wasn’t released on consoles and its servers were discontinued in 2023.

Perfect Dark 3

Back To Stealth Mode, Joanna

The planned next installment in the Perfect Dark series – which would have been the third game after Perfect Dark Zero (2005) – never received an official title. Announced in 2020, the game generated excitement among fans, though Microsoft revealed details very gradually. Despite appearing close to release, the project was canceled in July 2025, resulting in the closure of its developer, The Initiative. Crystal Dynamics assisted with development, but as they are not owned by Microsoft, they were unaffected by the cancellation.

Maverick Hunter

X Goes Metroid Prime

  • Developer: Armature Studio
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Canceled: 2010

Maverick Hunter was intended as a new, first-person shooter take on the classic Mega Man X series, effectively reimagining the character. The game was being developed by Armature Studio, a team of developers previously at Retro Studios—the studio famous for the highly praised Metroid Prime games. While never officially revealed, development began in 2010 but was ultimately halted. Leaked gameplay footage surfaced in 2013, finally giving fans a look at this long-lost project.

Star Wars: Battlefront 3

99% There

  • Developer: Free Radical Design
  • Publisher: LucasArts
  • Canceled: 2008

Many Star Wars games have been canceled, but Star Wars: Battlefront 3 is one of the most disappointing. The game was reportedly almost finished – 99% complete, according to its developer, Free Radical Design, who are best known for the popular TimeSplitters series.

I’ve been following the story of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 for years, and it’s been a wild ride! From what I understand, they were quietly working on it between 2006 and 2008. We started seeing bits and pieces leak out in 2008 and again in 2012, but the biggest reveal came in 2024 with a playable Wii build surfacing. It’s amazing that people can actually play something, but honestly, from what I’ve seen, it’s definitely not the game fans like me have been dreaming of. It’s still a long way off from being finished, and it’s not really where we want it to be.

Fable Legends

A Dungeon Crawler Vs Game

I was really excited when Fable Legends was first announced back in June 2014! It was supposed to be a spin-off game, and they even did a closed beta test in October of that year. It was a cool idea – a 4v1 dungeon crawler where four players were heroes battling one player who got to be the villain, setting traps and sending monsters after us. What was neat was they weren’t just relying on players; AI could fill in as heroes or the villain, so it wasn’t limited to just real people. They even ran another beta in 2016 where you could spend real money in the game. Sadly, it was canceled later that year, everyone got their money back, and the whole studio, Lionhead, was shut down. It was a real shame, I was really hoping it would work out.

Legacy Of Kain: Dead Sun/Nosgoth

Two Games, Both Canceled

Climax Studios started working on Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun around 2009 as the newest installment in the Legacy of Kain series. Although the project was canceled in 2012, Psyonix continued development on a multiplayer component. Rather than scrap everything, Square Enix had Psyonix release this multiplayer portion as a separate game called Nosgoth, beginning with closed and open alpha and beta tests in 2013. Despite building a small fanbase on Steam, Nosgoth was ultimately canceled in 2016.

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2025-11-17 11:35