Top 5 Painfully Long Video Game Waits

Hurry Up Already!

Crafting a video game from scratch, especially AAA titles, takes an exorbitant amount of time, effort and resources. While not exactly the most patient of people, gamers at the very least understand they’re going to have to wait a couple of years before the likes of an anticipated sequel or new IP is polished to the point that it is ready for purchase. That being said, when years spill over to the point where they have almost reached the decade mark, you can’t blame fans for losing their heads over the waiting period!

#5: “The Last Guardian” (2016)

There are certain developers who you’re willing to wait for because you want to see the full scope of their vision. Fumito Ueda is one of those developers… usually. Development for his latest work began in 2007, with the game being showcased at E3 2009 with plans of a PS3 release in 2011. Cue several delays due to hardware difficulties, Ueda and members of Team Ico leaving Sony, and a sudden move to PS4 with no foreseeable release date. Fortunately, Ueda returned with his new studio, genDESIGN, and became a creative consultant for the game, and in 2015, the game returned to E3 with plans of an actual release.

#4: “Aliens: Colonial Marines” (2013)

We don’t need to remind you how much of a terrible experience “Aliens: Colonial Marines” is. Upon release it was littered with bugs, terrible AI, and a complete disregard for the films that inspired it. Enter Sega in 2006, who purchased the rights to the Alien franchise, and later, they announced a team up with Gearbox to make Colonial Marines. In 2010, we got the intense Alien adventure we wanted: Alien vs. Predator… wait what? What happened to Colonial Marines? Ah, delays, and… outsourcing to other developers ? Forget development hell, this was a development nightmare!

#3: “Persona 5” (2017)

We first got a glimpse of those stylish, heart taking thieves in 2013… or rather, we got a glimpse of a row of chairs. Apparently, prep work for the game began in 2008 while Persona 4 was in its final stages. P5 went through various draft styles — and it kinda shows in the final product, as the game has a much different look and sound than past releases in the franchise . Set to be a PS3 exclusive in 2014, Japan wouldn’t see a release on PS3 AND PS4 until 2016, and the U.S. had to wait until April 2017.

#2: “Final Fantasy XV” (2016)

Believe it or not, talk of Final Fantasy XIII started back in 2004 for the PS2. Why are we bringing up XIII in an entry about XV? Well, in 2006, we were treated to a trailer to a game called “Versus XIII,” which was supposed to be released alongside XIII. Cue XIII’s release in 2010, and Versus… well… let’s just say that Noctis didn’t get up from that lavish chair for about a decade. At least he became more than a spinoff, and hey, now that the game is out, maybe we’ll finally get Kingdom Hearts 3… right Nomura?

#1: “Duke Nukem Forever” (2011)

After the release of Duke Nukem 3D in 1996, the next installment was announced in 1997. Four years later, 3D Realms stated that the game would be ready… when it was ready. That’s… never a good sign. We finally got a teaser trailer in 2007, ten years after the game was first announced, and just when we thought we’d be able to go get some… downsizing, lawsuits, and in 2010, Gearbox Studios continued where 3D Realms left off. Wait, haven’t we talked about Gearbox already on this list? Well we’re sure Duke’s return faired better than Colonial Marines, right?

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Most Anticipated Video Games of 2019.