Sometimes after a game is announced it gets stuck in a seemingly endless development period. While some games finally emerge, such asthese games with lengthy development cycles, others seem to get trapped in development limbo and many years pass by without any news or updates. The downside with these slow-cooking games is they sometimes get so hyped up that they don’t always hit the mark on release. For example,The Last Guardianwas stuck in development for eight years and though it received favorable reviews on release, many expected it to do better.
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The games stuck in limbo may finally see the light of day, get canceled, or sometimes we just simply never hear about them again and they die a quiet death before inexplicably being removed from the developer’s website.
10WiLD
WiLDwas announced as aPlayStation 4 exclusivein 2014. It is an open-world survival game set 10,000 years ago in a prehistoric world where players take on the role of a human who can take control of animals to spy on other tribes and further their gameplay.
There has been little news ofWiLDother than lead designer Michel Ancel releasing new screenshots in 2017. We’re now nearing the dawn of the new generation of consoles andWiLDstill has yet to make an appearance. Perhaps it will jump to PlayStation 5?
Dead Island 2was announced in 2014 and is set to follow up on the 2011 release ofDead Island, though despite its name it is actually the third major installment in the series.Dead Island 2is an open-world action RPG set in Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and another undisclosed location in California.
The game has had a difficult time in development so far, already changing hands between development studios multiple times, with Dambuster Studios most recently acquiring the game in 2019. Official word is that the game is still very much on its way, but given its rocky track record so far, who knows when it’ll hit store shelves.
8Skull & Bones
Ubisoft revealedSkull & Bonesduring E3 2017; an open-world tactical game where the players assume the role of a pirate captain sailing the Indian Ocean. The game is said to have taken inspiration from the naval battles fromAssassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
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Skull & Bones was set to release for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in 2018, but was later delayed to 2019, then delayed again until 2020. The latest update from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot states that the game has now been pushed back to some time between April 2021 – March 2022. Given its multiple previous delays, it’s not worth holding your breath for this new release window.
7Metroid Prime 4
Metroid Primeis a fan-favorite Nintendo franchise and so naturally the gaming world was ecstatic when Nintendo announcedMetroid Prime 4was in development at E3 2017. Despite the previous games in the franchise being developed by Retro Studios, it was revealed in the announcement that Bandai Namco would be developingMetroid Prime 4.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé reassured fans many times in 2018 that the game was developing well. However, in 2019 it was announced thatMetroid Prime 4had been restarted and would now be under development by Retro Studios.
6World of Demons
PlatinumGames partnered with DeNA to createWorld of Demonsfor Android and iOS, with the aim to bring PlatinumGames' prestigious caliber of gameplay to mobile devices. The game is set to be a samurai hack n' slash game with Oni adversaries, Yokai summons, and plenty ofOkami-Esque art stylings.
The game was set to release in the summer of 2018 but never made it to the app store and no announcement made to explain why. It’s now nearly two years since it should have released and there have been no further updates, though it is still listed on PlatinumGames' website.
5Beyond Good and Evil 2
Beyond Good and Eviloriginally released in 2003 to positive reviews and rumors of a sequel began to circulate a few years later with a leaked trailer appearing in 2009 and finally confirming its existence. Despite this, the sequelBeyond Good and Evil 2was not officially announced until E3 2017 and was revealed to be a prequel to its predecessor.
However, no release window has been unveiled since then, with fans left wondering if whether the many years that the game has already spent in development hell has made it vulnerable to cancelation. As we are so close to the next generation of consoles, it could be that Ubisoft is holding out to release it for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
4Payday 3
Payday: The Heistreleased in 2011 and was followed by its sequel,Payday 2, a couple of years later in 2013, which also received praise and positive reviews. Naturally, fans thought another game would shortly be on its way given the small window between the first two games; however, news ofPayday 3was scarce.
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Payday 3was officially announced in 2019 in a press release by Starbreeze Studios, with the company slating its release window for some time between 2022 and 2023. Considering this would mean the game could potentially be released a full decade after the previous title, it’s hard not to worry about the lengthy development time ofPayday 3.
3Two Worlds III
The action-roleplaying game franchiseTwo Worldsbegan in 2007 and was followed up with a sequel,Two Worlds II, in 2011. The game is set in a real-time, open-world fantasy environment where the player takes control of a single character as they adventure and quest to their heart’s content.
In March 2018, TopWare Interactive announcedTwo Worlds III, setting an initial release date for 2019. However, in 2018 it was announced thatTwo Worlds IIIwas still in pre-production as the studio was busy making additional DLC forTwo Worlds II. As a result, the release date forTwo Worlds IIIhas been pushed back to 2022.
2Star Citizen
Star Citizenis currently being developed by Cloud Imperium Games and is meant to be a spiritual successor toFreelancerfrom 2003. The game is set to be a multiplayer space simulator where players take part in space trading and combat.
The game was originally scheduled for release in 2014, but expansions and additions to gameplay have led to multiple delays. In 2013, Cloud Imperium Games began to release portions of the game to allow players to experience the gameplay, with the last,Persistent Universe, being released in 2015. There is currently no known release date forStar Citizen.
1Half-Life 3
This one is a bit of a curveball asHalf-Life 3has never officially been announced, regardless, that doesn’t stop fans fully expecting it to happen eventually.Half-Lifereleased in 1998, withHalf-Life 2releasing in 2004, shortly followed by additional episodic content.
Fans have been chomping at the bit forHalf-Life 3, but so far all we’ve received is the prequelHalf-Life:Alyxearlier this year. Check out thislist of things we want to seereturn inHalf-Life 3, as well as a few we don’t want to see.
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