Top 10 Video Games Cancelled for Dumb Reasons

Top 10 Video Games Cancelled for Dumb Reasons Really? You cancelled the game for that? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Video Games Cancelled for Dumb Reasons. For this list, we’re looking at games where the reason for cancellation has already been clarified. We won’t be considering games that were cancelled because of funding or missed deadlines. We’re also not counting games where the reason for cancellation is still in question.

#10: “Super Mario Spikers”

Mario has certainly become the sports fanatic throughout the years. We’ve seen him play baseball, golf, basketball, tennis, and soccer. But, he’s never played volleyball (outside of “Mario Party” and “Sports Mix”). Next Level Games was ready to make a full-fledged volleyball game with some wrestling in the mix, but Nintendo was not sold. An unnamed Nintendo rep stated the game violated its “code of honor”. We can only assume from the animations that Nintendo saw the violence as too realistic for the “Mario” franchise. And “Super Mario Strikers” wasn’t?

#9: “Star Wars Battlefront III”

In an alternate universe, EA never acquired the license to our beloved “Battlefront” series. This sequel to the childhood memories of many would have implemented seamless travel between on-foot and space combat. Developed by Free Radical Design, the game would have released on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, but tension rose between Free Radical and publisher LucasArts. Missed deadlines caused late payments which caused missed deadlines which caused late payments, and so on and so forth. It essentially became a cycle of spite and finger-pointing. Once Disney bought “Star Wars”, the project was terminated, the license was sold to EA, and the rest is history.

#8: “Thrill Kill”

We live in a world where video games can show some pretty gruesome stuff. But when someone pushes the envelope, there’s bound to be some complaints. Created by Paradox Development, “Thrill Kill” was one of those games that was filled to the brim in offensive content. (Are you seeing this footage?) When their publisher, Virgin Entertainment, was bought by EA, well…let’s just say there weren’t any smiles going around that day. EA cancelled the whole project weeks from launch, as they didn’t want to publish “something so senselessly violent”. EA would later publish “American McGee’s Alice”, “Brutal Legend”, and the “Dead Space” games.

#7: “Eight Days”

Most cancellations happen because of budget cuts, lack of resources, or time constraints. Keep this mind for a minute… “Eight Days” was an action game designed to last eight days, utilizing a real-world clock, two main protagonists, and what would have been one of gaming’s biggest worlds. Take a wild guess why Sony cancelled this one… No online mode. Yep. This game was cancelled because Sony wanted to focus more on games with and online component. Yeah, we’re not even sure how to respond to that one, either…

#6: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned”

No, you didn’t miss a movie from the “Pirates” franchise, but we all missed out on what would have been an epic swashbuckling adventure developed by Propaganda Games. When this RPG was revealed at E3 2010, we were all excited! Finally, “Pirates of the Caribbean” was going to get the amazing game it deserves! Then, Disney decided to do a little “restructuring”, and at the time, “TRON: Legacy” was about to hit theaters. Disney decided to push all resources to “TRON: Evolution” in order to coincide with the movie. The game failed, which prompted Disney to close Propaganda Games. We lost a promising looking game to a rushed movie-tie-in. Thanks, Disney!

#5: “Crash Landed” & “Crash Team Racing 2010”

The wait for Crash’s return wouldn’t have been as long if these two games saw the light of day. Serving as a reboot for the franchise, “Crash Landed” would have been an origin story where Crash must save tiny, baby bandicoots. Releasing sometime around it, “CTR 2010” would have been an exciting new kart racer featuring customization options similar to the latest “Mario Kart” games. Our nerves were struck when we found out the poor excuse for the cancellation of these games. Remember those rumors of Sony possibly buying back “Crash Bandicoot”? Yeah, Activision cancelled these two games because of rumor that wasn’t true. Pretty spiteful stuff, Activision.

#4: “Fez 2”

Say what you will about Phil Fish, there’s no denying the brilliance of “Fez”, a 2D puzzle-platformer that will challenge your perception and observation skills. The reveal of “Fez 2” got us excited, but, unfortunately, it didn’t last long. After a heated argument with Marcus Beer of GameTrailers, Phil Fish got fed up and not only cancelled “Fez 2”, but announced his departure from the gaming industry. To this day, Polytron is for sale along with the “Fez” IP. It’s a real shame that some criticism led to a mental breakdown for Fish, which led to the cancellation of what would have been an amazing sequel.

#3: “Jurassic Park: Survival”

Lesson number one in game development; the relationship between a developer and publisher is extremely crucial in making great games. Unfortunately, “Jurassic Park: Survival” would become victim to a horrible relationship between developer Savage Entertainment and publishers Vivendi and Konami. Despite the rave reviews of the game’s reveal at E3 2001, Vivendi was not happy with how the game was turning into, as its original purpose was to be a tie-in with “Jurassic Park III”. Eventually, Vivendi started delaying payments, frustrating Savage Entertainment so much that they ultimately canceled the entire game. Vivendi’s excuse for the late payments were due to Savage missing deadlines. Games take time, Vivendi, and people gotta eat in order to make those games.

#2: “Star Wars 1313”

Steering away from the typical “play as a Jedi” game, “Star Wars 1313” was to be a gritty adventure where we could play as a bounty hunter. Imagine the faces of millions of gamers gushing over the game when it was revealed at E3 2012. Then, as previously stated, Disney bought the “Star Wars” franchise. Disney assured fans that development would continue with a different studio, but this would prove to be an empty promise when Disney let the trademark expire. Disney just couldn’t let an M-rated Star Wars game exist for the adult gamers, could they?

#1: “Silent Hills”

This was Konami’s next big thing. THIS was supposed to be their next big hit after “Metal Gear Solid V”, and they screwed the pooch! “P.T.” was the “playable teaser” for a brand new “Silent Hill” game, with Hideo Kojima directing with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and starring Norman Reedus. The whole game got canned after Kojima and Konami had conflictions, and Kojima came out to announce his departure from the company as soon as “MGS V” was finished. Kojima and del Toro are now working on the mysterious “Death Stranding”, but we may never know what this game would have been like. What we do know is that Konami will never be able to live this down.