Canceled Resident Evil Game for Game Boy Color Surfaces Online

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A previously canceled version of Resident Evil for Game Boy Color has been found online. Capcom officially stopped development in 2000, but the group Games That Weren’t—which saves lost and unreleased games—has shared what they believe is the most complete build of the game. They think it might even be fully playable from start to finish.

In early 1999, Capcom asked the South London game studio HotGen to create a version of the original Resident Evil for the Game Boy Color. It was a big challenge to fit a PlayStation game onto a single Game Boy Color cartridge, but HotGen started working on it, aiming for a release in Fall 1999. However, the game missed both its original release date and a later date set for January 2000. Ultimately, Capcom canceled the project in March 2000, explaining they didn’t think the final product would satisfy players or meet their own standards.

Resident Evil’s 98% Complete Game Boy Color Port Is Playable Now

After more than 25 years, the long-lost Game Boy Color version of Resident Evil is finally available to play. On December 17th, the group Games That Weren’t announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the complete version of the game, created by HotGen, could be played on their website. The site also features a short history of the game’s development and includes comments from the original developers, shared with the archival site back in 2020.

In 2020, assistant programmer Pete Frith stated that the Resident Evil port for Game Boy Color was nearly finished – around 98% complete and in quality assurance testing – when Capcom cancelled it. Frith said the developers were told the cancellation was because the original creator of Resident Evil didn’t think the Game Boy Color was a suitable platform for his game.

A recent post on the ‘Games That Weren’t’ archive discusses early versions of the Game Boy port that have surfaced online. It mentions two builds from 2011 and another version that was nearly finished – around 90% complete – but couldn’t be fully played through with either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield.

The latest version of the cancelled Resident Evil game, recovered by Games That Weren’t, is the most complete one found so far. It seems to be the final version created before the project was halted in 2000. While it hasn’t been confirmed if the game can be fully completed, players can now encounter and defeat the Tyrant at the end – something that wasn’t possible in earlier versions. Games That Weren’t has also provided a complete soundtrack and sound effects list, a gallery of screenshots, and download links so fans can experience the build themselves.

Other Canceled Resident Evil Video Games

So, the Resident Evil Game Boy Color port wasn’t the only one with a rough development, and honestly, it’s not even the only Resident Evil game that’s been scrapped over the years. There have been a bunch of cancelled projects, and this one’s just one example of a troubled history.

  • Resident Evil 1.5 – The original follow-up to 1996’s Resident Evil that was canceled in mid-1997 at around 60–80% completion
  • Resident Evil 0 (Nintendo 64 Version) – A prequel following S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team that was originally developed for Nintendo 64’s 64DD add-on before production stopped in 2000 due to the console’s technical shortcomings
  • Resident Evil 3 – The original version of Resident Evil 3 was going to follow Umbrella Secret Service agent Hunk as he attempted to recover a sample of the G-Virus on a cruise ship. It was canceled in 1998 ahead of the PlayStation 2’s launch
  • Resident Evil 4 – Four separate versions of Resident Evil 4 were scrapped before the fifth and final version’s release in 2005. The first was going to follow the sons of Oswell E. Spencer and had a heavy action focus, a project that ended up becoming Devil May Cry. The second version brought Leon Kennedy to the table but was canceled due to technical difficulties. The third version introduced an over-the-shoulder viewpoint while shooting and focused on Leon Kennedy suffering from a virus that made him hallucinate enemies, and was also canceled due to technical difficulties. The fourth version was said to be focusing on a more traditional zombie story before Shinji Mikami became the project’s director and scrapped it.

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2025-12-18 09:04