There are numerous video games – some complete, most not – which are never released to a general audience due region restrictions or cancellations. Sometimes, it’s for no reason whatsoever, or a consequence of serious mismanagement, budgeting or general incompetence. Sometimes, the game in question is much anticipated, but that alone isn’t enough to guarantee its survival. After all, publishers are cautious by their very nature, meaning even the slightest concern can result in a game being denied localisation, or being abandoned completely.
Japanese publishers are especially blameworthy, many of their games considered either too niche, or too culturally distinct for a viable release outside of Japan, and are therefore never localised for English speaking audiences. Sometimes, this is done for the right reasons – but sometimes – the games themselves are much anticipated, and would arguably achieve some commercial success if permitted a worldwide release, which for one reason or another, they’re denied.
Either way, the following examples demonstrated tremendous potential, but went unreleased regardless. In some cases, the games themselves were doomed from the start – fundamentally flawed, or impractically ambitious – in others, only the publishers can be blamed. These games could have made millions – or, they could have flopped – but either way, we’ll never know.
Shadow Realms
Shadow Realms – an action orientated role-playing game with an emphasis on competitive multiplayer – was developed by Bioware Austin, and was originally scheduled for release sometimes in 2015, but was cancelled in February of that same year. In the game – which was planned to be released episodically – would have featured co-operative gameplay in which four players worked together against a fifth player, The Shadowlord.
Shadow Realms was reworked numerous times before its eventual cancellation, initially delayed following negative player feedback. Eventually, the team assigned to the project was disbanded, and assigned to various other projects, including Star Wars: The Old Republic. To date, the game’s cancellation remains somewhat a mystery, especially considering its remarkable promise. In fact, Shadow Realms seemed to have made it quite a way into production, and was practically finished prior to its cancellation.
Thrill Kill
Thrill Kill was an exceptionally violent game; however, it was also complete. Due for release in 1998, the game was a figher/brawler designed around several mature themes, and was planned to be the first entry in a new franchise. The game featured moves with suggestive titles, such as ‘Bitch Slap’ and ‘Swallow This’, and was actually the first game to receive the AO (Adults Only) rating from the E.S.R.B for its depiction of violence.
Originally, the game was developed by Paradox Entertainment, and was planned to be published by Virgin Interactive, who were later purchased in their entirety by Electronic Arts. EA, concerned by the violence inherent in the game, decided to cancel the project, fearing that its release would tarnish their public reputation. In the game, players were rewarded for dismembering their opponents in the most creative ways possible, gradually increasing their ‘blood lust’ until they could perform special, gruesome fatalities, or ‘thrill kills’.
Highly anticipated, Thrill Kill was highly anticipated, and its cancellation disappointed a great many fans, considered a spiritual successor to Mortal Kombat. The game was poised to make a massive impact – and were it released today – no one would have batted an eye.
Ace Attorney Investigations 2
Ace Attorney Investigations 2 was released exclusively in Japan, despites its sequel – Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth – achieving a substantial degree of success in Europe and North America. In 2011, Capcom announced the game would not be released outside of Japan, suggesting that the cost of localising the product would exceed potential sales.
In the game, players reprise the role of Miles Edgeworth, who must uncover a sinister conspiracy in order to continue his prosecution practice. In similar fashion to its predecessor, the game involves collecting evidence in order to solve conversational puzzles, recreating crime-scenes in order to reveal previously concealed details.
Prior to his release in 2013, Christian Svensson – the former vice-president of Capcom US – had been attempting to localise the game outside of Japan. That said, Capcom have never maintained complete faith in the franchise, meaning Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is unlikely to receive an international release, despite its commercial appeal.
Metal Wolf Chaos
Developed by FromSoftware – the creators of Dark Souls, and Bloodborne – Metal Wolf Chaos is another game released exclusively in Japan, despite its almost universal appeal. In 2004, the game was released exclusively on Xbox – which was never very popular in that country – meaning the game was a substantial commercial disappointment.
In the game, players control the President of the United States, tasked with recapturing the White House from the clutches of his VP, who has seized control following a vicious coup. The player – outfitted with a powerful mech, as well as a seemingly infinite array of military weaponry – must obliterate everything within the general vicinity, surviving hordes of devastating enemies in the process. Interestingly, the game includes a complete English translation, and was apparently designed with Western audiences in mind.
That said, Metal Wolf Chaos was never released outside of Japan, despite having cultivated a considerable following since in the years since its release, somewhat evolving into a cult classic, and even a collector’s item. The publisher, Devolver Digital briefly considered publishing the game in North American, but has since failed to secure the rights to the series.
Star Wars 1313
Disney purchased LucasArts for a whopping $4.05 billion in October 2012, and proceeded to disembowel the company, cancelling a number of projects and arresting internal development within the company. After which, they proceeded to dismiss the majority of LucasArts employees, reducing the company to a small skeleton crew of around ten individuals.
During this time, a number of unfinished projects were abandoned, including Star Wars 1313 – a third-person shooter which emphasised exploration and cover-based shooting. In the game, players would have assumed the role of Boba Fett – tasked with fulfilling a number of assassination assignments throughout the underworld metropolis of Coruscant.
Early footage suggested the game was promising, and development was progressing significantly prior to its eventual cancellation. The game was originally announced in 2012, and was generating a significant degree of excitement, but was cancelled regardless.
Mother 3
Beginning development in 1994, Earthbound 64 was cancelled in 2000 following six years of continuous setbacks and countless delays. The game was originally planned to be released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but was later moved to the N64, and finally the GameCube. Despite his lack of experience, Shigesato Itoi developed Earthbound 64 using 3D technologies, which ultimately exceeded the capabilities of the platform.
The game was planned to be completed three years after beginning, but development continued for several more years. Eventually, Satoru Iwata made the decision to cancel the 3D version of the game in favour of a more practical 2D counterpart, which was later released as ‘Mother 3’ exclusively in Japan. Outside of Japan, Earthbound 64 never materialised, despite being rumoured to be over 50% complete. In 1999, IGN managed to get their hands on a fully-fledged demo of the game, and claimed the project was progressing nicely, and looked very promising.
In fairness, Nintendo did everything within their power to keep the project alive, but ultimately, the game was sunk by its own ambition. Mother 3 was released, but only in Japan, and Earthbound 64 – despite its enormous potential – was cancelled following almost a decade of playing catch up, which comes across as a mercy killing in retrospect.
Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis
Before Crisis was a prequel to Final Fantasy VII, released in 2004 and considered a critical and commercial success upon its release. The game includes a real-time combat mechanic in a side-scrolling perspective, and is set six years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII.
Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII was unsurprisingly a success, attracting over 200,000 unique users. Since then, the game has gone on to cultivate a significant following, and was praised profusely for its visuals and design. It was one of the highest-selling games the year of its release, and has continued to be one of the highest-selling mobile games of all time. As a result, the game has been generally accepted as part of the larger expanded universe of the series, and continues to garner a considerable degree of praise over in Japan.
Regardless, the game was never released in North America or Europe, mainly because compared to Japan, the continents are technologically disadvantaged. Western devices were incapable of running the game in 2004, and were therefore denied its release. Since then, the demand for the game has decreased substantially – but, if localised – the game would still achieve some commercial success, though perhaps not enough to justify the effort.
Homeland
Released in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube, and developed by Chunsoft – the makers of Pokémon: Mystery Dungeon – Homeland was a multiplayer focused role-playing game with an emphasis on exploration. In the game, players create custom avatars, and use those avatars to interact with other players online, trading items with friends and optimising their equipment.
Interesting, the game was one of only two online games developed for the GameCube, and the only one to be denied an international release. Unfortunately, the game’s reliance on network play restricted its potential audience outside of Japan – and ultimately – this was the main reason the game was never released in English speaking countries, which is a shame.
The GameCube was made for couch co-op, and was never marketed as an online device, meaning only a small amount of people purchased the console for its online capabilities. Homeland was way ahead of its time, but was also a relatively obscure property – and perhaps as direct result – will never receive a worldwide release, despite the success of similar games, such as Phantasy Star Online, which managed to cultivate a substantial international audience.
Mega Man Legends 3
Mega Man is a staple of video games, having been around since 1987, producing countless unique titles, spanning multiple console generations. In 1997, Capcom released Mega Man Legends – a spin-off series which aimed to take the franchise in an all new direction, emphasising more versatile exploration over linear platforming.
Following a sequel and a prequel, the series went into hibernation until 2010 when it was announced that development had started on Mega Man Legends 3. In the game, players were planned to choose between two separate characters, Aero and Barret – two adventures tasked with rescuing Mega Man Volnutt from imprisonment inside Elysium.
In July 2011, Mega Man Legends 3 was suddenly cancelled, a mere year after it was first announced. Unsurprisingly, fans took to the news with disappointment; however, that disappointment quickly turned into resentment after Capcom essentially blamed the cancellation of the project on a lack of public interest. In reality, Mega Man Legends was cancelled following the departure of long-term illustrator and producer, Kiji Inafune in 2010.
Prior to its cancellation, a prototype was released, showcasing several environments and mission varieties, and was rumoured to be almost complete.
Densha De Go
Densha De Go is a series of train-simulators which began in arcades in 1996, published by Square Enix exclusively in Japan. Incredibly detailed, the game contains actual train routes, and is infamously demanding, tasking players with adhering to incredibly strict timetables and arriving at destinations within half a second of the allotted time.
The game would probably attract a considerable audience in the West, but has been denied localisation for decades, which makes no sense considering the success of Euro Truck Simulator, which offers a comparable experience, and is remarkably popular. In fairness, Densha De Go is completely unforgiving, and would need to be simplified considering before the game could be considered for an international release. It’s also remarkably detailed – which isn’t necessarily a negative – however, it’s detailed according to a specific region of Japan, meaning the experience might prove alienating for those unfamiliar with the province.
The series is currently produced by Square Enix, and continues to thrive in Japan. In 2010, the company announced a special edition for the Nintendo DS, rejuvenating interest in the franchise and ensuring its continued survival. That said, the series could – potentially – tap into a whole new audience, the company missing out on millions.