Missing in Action - What is going on with these games
Years ago, I am talking back in the 1990s, gaming reveals often happened via magazines. Each month you would get your magazine or two of choice and then reading through the pages, you would discover a new game was on its way.
As the number of pages in a magazine were finite, there were only so many games that could be shown off, so the general rule was that games being included were close to release. This meant that if you saw a game there, there was a good chance you would have it in your hands within 12 months.
Fast forward to today, games are announced via showcases like Nintendo Directs, State of Plays or insert name of one here. These events are often about the spectacle of the reveal more so than they are about the game itself. What I mean by that is we will often get a trailer either CGI or made using the game engine, that may not provide any real explanation about what the game will offer.
These events are wonderful, however the reveal is more about showing a game is in development, not showing that it is near completion. Some games do release the day they are announced, but those are the rare treat and not the normal behaviour. More often games are announced to appease shareholders of companies, to help boost the bottom line and very little else.
The games below were announced more than a year ago, so the list does not included titles like the Motive Studio’s Iron Man game, Mafia 4 or Control 2. No the list below has games that are more than one year old since their announcement and some of them are close to a double digit age.
These are the games that have been MIA for quite some time and the week formally known as E3 would have been the perfect time to reveal them again, or at least mention them.
ARK 2
Developer: Studio Wildcard | Publisher: Studio Wildcard | Revealed: Dec 2020
The first ARK game didn’t set the world of fire when it hit early access, but as the years went by more and more players wanted to see what this dinosaur survival game was all about and as a result the game grew. In December 2020, Studio Wildcard revealed that ARK 2 was happening and had signed a deal with Vin Diesel to star in the game.
Since then the game has shown off the same trailer below a few times, though they are slightly different, but there hasn’t been gameplay shown off, story information revealed or anything that would provide a reason as to why this is a sequel and not an expansion. The game was due to release in late 2023 but in March 2023, the folks revealed that the game would be delayed and now release at the end of 2024 at the earliest.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier | Publisher: Ubisoft | Revealed: June 2017 (2008 if you want to get technical)
In 2003, Ubisoft released their first Zelda-clone in Beyond Good and Evil and while the basic gameplay was inspired by The Legend of Zelda series, the story, characters and themes were all their own. The game released to much critical success, though not financial and while talk of a sequel quickly gained traction, it seemed there was not much to see, until roughly 4 years later.
In 2007 there was a rumour floating around that the sequel was happening and in 2008 Ubisoft revealed a trailer showing off Jade and Pej sitting beside a broken car. But while that was nice, it wouldn’t be until the end of 2016 that we saw more of the game and then at E3 2017, when the game was officially announced and revealed in full. A year later at E3 2018, we got a great trailer and then silence. The game has been talked about during financial briefings, but there has not been any word on a release date or even window. 2022 also saw the game take the crown from Duke Nukem Forever as the game in development the longest.
Bioshock 4
Developer: Cloud Chamber | Publisher: 2K | Revealed: Dec 2019
2013 saw the release of Bioshock Infinite and while the DLC took another 12 months to release in full, that was deemed to be the end of the Bioshock series, when creator Ken Levine revealed that he was scaling back his team and going to make something new. It took 5 years from the news that Bioshock was dead in the water, pun intended, before 2K revealed a new game was coming.
December 2019 saw 2K announce that a new Bioshock game was in development at a new development studio called Cloud Chamber and in the years since, there hasn’t been a single update. We knew that development would take some time, given they were creating a studio from scratch for it, but after 4 years and change, to see nothing, heck we don’t even have a fancy logo to show off, that is not a welcome sign.
Contraband
Developer: Avalanche Studios | Publisher: Xbox Game Studios | Revealed: June 2021
It has been 2 years now since we learnt that the studio behind Just Cause, Mad Max and Rage 2 were making Contraband, a new 4-player co-op adventure game and since the reveal trailer there has been no news. After the trailer dropped we learnt that it was set in the 1970s and would take place in a fictional country, but that was it.
The 2023 Xbox Games Showcase would have been a perfect time to show off anything about the game, but it came and went without a whisper. Even the developers official page for the game has no extra details. Will the game release any time soon? It is doubtful if only because the announcement trailer was nothing more than a mood setting piece.
Crysis 4
Developer: Crytek | Publisher: Crytek | Revealed: Jan 2022
Social media has been a blessing and a curse, depending on the platform and people you engage. However in the world of games, it is often used as a means to announce a game. Case in point in January of 2022 when Avni Yerli, the CEO of Crytek announced that they were working on an all-new game in the series and 9 years after it “wrapped” up.
Since then though, the studio has been radio silent on it, there has been no tweets, no trailers, just radio silence. Due to the extended silence, fans have taken to creating their own trailers in order to build up hype.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf
Developer: Bioware | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Revealed: Dec 2018
While reports of a new Dragon Age title were floating around in 2015, it would be until The Game Awards in 2018, that the first teaser trailer for the game was shown off. At the time it was simply Dragon Age and showed that Solas was involved in some fashion. The game was then silent for another 18 months, before a trailer that featured concept art from the game would be shown off at Gamescom 2020, six months later we got a nice trailer at The Game Awards, which you can see below.
It would be another 2 years and in June of 2022, we got the actual title Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, almost 4 years after it was announced to be in development. However, apart from an apparent leak of gameplay, there has been nothing on the game since the name was made official. We have been given status reports, including one in October of 2022 that the game is now in a playable state, but there is no publicly shared images or video to show it off.
Dragon Quest 12
Developer: Square Enix | Publisher: Square Enix | Revealed: May 2021
There are a handful of gaming series that can claim to be 30 years old and there are even fewer that can almost claim 40, but that is where Dragon Quest lives. In May of 2021 as part of the Dragon Quest Day celebrations a trailer for Dragon Quest 12 was shown off and while the trailer was just the number 12 in roman numerals, that is XII, it did get the subtitle “The Flames of Fate”
However since then, there has been nothing on the game, we are 2 years since its confirmation and there has been nothing, not even art. What is weird is that we have had two Dragon Quest Days since then and both came and went without any mention of the title. Given the mainline series tends to release a game every 4-5 years and the last one released in 2017, we are well overdue.
Dragon Quest III HD Remake
Developer: Square Enix | Publisher: Square Enix | Revealed: May 2021
In the same Dragon Quest Day stream that revealed Dragon Quest 12, we also got word that Dragon Quest 3 was being remade from the ground up, using the same engine and art style from Octopath Traveler, namely HD-2D. However, exactly like the one above, since its reveal there has been nothing released about it since.
In December 2022, series creator Yuji Horii did release a statement stating that news was coming soon for the game, but here we are almost 8 months later and still nothing. Since the game was announced there have been two Dragon Quest spin-off titles released and another two have been announced and are dated for release, so news on this one needs to come soon.
Everwild
Developer: Rare | Publisher: Xbox Game Studios | Revealed: Nov 2019
I will be honest here, Rare is a shell of what it was when they were partly owned by Nintendo. Since they got bought out by Microsoft they have released 12 games, three of those were Kinect Sports and most of the rest were new entries in existing series. Sea of Thieves, Kameo: Elements of Power, Grabbed by the Ghoulies and Viva Pinata were the only original games, which is why in 2019 when Everwild was announced people took notice.
But it was then reported that development started in 2014 with prototypes and all that fun stuff, so when rumours popped up that in 2021 that development had restarted again, it wasn’t great news. Those rumours came after a new trailer was shown off during the Xbox ‘E3’ 2020 showcase, which is below, so to hear it was back at square one, wasn’t the direction people were hoping for. There were then reports that the release date was expected to be 2023 at the earliest, but since those rumours - and I state again Rumors, there has been nothing, so if the game is coming out this year, it needs to get into gear.
Haunted Chocolatier
Developer: Concerned Ape | Publisher: TBA | Revealed: Oct 2021
Concerned Ape may not be a name you know, but there is little doubt you know their popular game Stardew Valley. The game released quietly and then slowly gained cult status, do a count of your friends and its likely that 1-in-3 have played the game. So when word came in October 2021 that the developer was working on an all new game, people took notice.
The last production update on Haunted Chocolatier was two months after the game was announced and then the developer has been radio silent. It must be said that the developer is a solo person, meaning its one person doing the gameplay systems, art, music and all the other bits that make a game.. a game. Still after almost 2 years without any sort of update, some news would be very welcome.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Developer: Team Cherry | Publisher: Team Cherry | Revealed: Feb 2019
There have been a few games that have come via Kickstarters that have actually delivered on their promises and Hollow Knight was one such title. One of the stretch goals was a new playable character in Hornet and they achieved that goal with ease. Fast forward to February 2019 and word came out that, rather than the character being added as DLC, they would instead star within their own game. At PAX Australia 2019, the game was even playable on the show floor of the Nintendo booth, I have the pin to prove I played it, and then in December 2019, we got a sample of the soundtrack. Things were looking up for fans.
It would be another 2 years and 3 months before we got any new details on the game and that was basically “we are still working on it” but then in June 2022, the game popped up at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. The promise of that show was everything included would release within the next 12 months and here we are 12 months later and the game is still not out. Worse a member of the team tweeted out that they needed more time, so it’s unlikely to be releasing anytime soon.
Indiana Jones Game
Developer: MachineGames | Publisher: Bethesda | Revealed: Jan 2021
One of the biggest reveals of 2021 was that a new Indiana Jones game was on the way and the folks at MachineGames were leading the charge. Given they just spent years perfecting the art of punching Nazi’s, this was welcome news and with Bethesda being owned by Microsoft, or just about, there were hopes it wouldn’t take long to see what the game was all about.
Here we are 2.5 year later and the only thing we have to show for it is the teaser trailer that revealed the game was in development. Todd Howard has been attached as an Executive Producer, but for the most part this is MachineGames baby, well infant by this point in time. With a new Indiana Jones movie out this year, one would have thought a game would tie in beautifully, heck there was a decade where that was standard practice. The problem is that we have seen nothing on the game, not even the official title and by this point its a little worrying. We did get confirmation via the Xbox vs FTC court battle, that the game will be exclusive to Xbox and PC.
Kingdom Hearts IV
Developer: Square Enix | Publisher: Square Enix | Revealed: Apr 2022
It has been a little more than 12 months since Kingdom Hearts IV was announced, which was 3 years and change since the then ‘final’ game was released. While the reveal did come with a shiny trailer and some snippet of gameplay, there has been nothing else from the title since.
Last year saw Square Enix release 20+ titles and reveal even more and while some of them have been delayed, they have still be showcased in some form, just not this one. Series creator Tetsuya Nomura has been working on this game, along with countless others at the same time, but as he is co-directing Kingdom Hearts IV and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, odds are the one releasing next year is the focus. The series has never been known for releasing information in a timely manner, but given the success that Kingdom Hearts 3 had, more news for this would be a welcome change.
Mass Effect 5
Developer: Bioware | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Revealed: Dec 2020
During the Xbox 360 days, there were a few series that got their start, Assassin’s Creed, Bioshock and of course, Mass Effect. The first three games in the series were fantastic and each built upon the one that came before it, regardless of what you think of the ending, the series was on top of the world. Then 5 years later in 2017 we got Mass Effect Andromeda, which kept the spirit of the series going, but didn’t launch in the best state and turned many players away.
In 2020 the series was revived with news that a new ‘Mass Effect 5’ was coming, though that is not the official name. The same day it was announced, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition was also announced, bringing the three original titles to modern platforms, enhanced across the board. While that collection has released, we loved it, but it would be another 12 months until we got news on the next original entry. That was just a poster style art, confirming the game is happening still, then again on ‘N7’ day in 2022 we got another piece of concept art. Since then though, the game has been silent and considering in 2.5 years, we have been given two pieces of art, that is not really enough to gauge interest on what is going on. If the release of information keeps pace, November 2023 should see us get something, but hopefully the studio breaks tradition and releases more news sooner.
Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake
Developer: Remedy Entertainment | Publisher: Rockstar Games | Revealed: Apr 2022
Remedy Entertainment might be a bit of a name now, what with Control, Quantum Break and Alan Wake under their belts, but back in 2001, the studio released a 3rd person shooter called Max Payne, which added bullet time into games for the first time. While the studio shipped a sequel 2 years later, the third game in the series would be developed by Rockstar Games, who published the first two.
More than a decade after the third game released, it was revealed that the first two would be remade, with Remedy once again picking up development on the titles. Rockstar Games are putting up the funding and publishing it, but the only real news we got at the time was that it was in the concept development stage. The problem is that Remedy is not massive and they have Alan Wake 2 coming out soon, Control 2 is in active development and there is even a multiplayer Control title in the works. Given this was meant to be a remake, much of the groundwork should have been laid, but here we are 15 months later and still no news on it, not even a random mention.
Metroid Prime 4
Developer: Retro Studios | Publisher: Nintendo | Revealed: June 2017
I was going to publish this piece after the week formally known as E3 was done, but then I got word a Nintendo Direct was coming and I thought, it has been 6 years since Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 and 4-sih since we learnt development had restarted. So that surely meant that it was time for the company to finally reveal the game to the world, except the Direct came and went, without a single mention of Metroid.
Since its reveal in 2017, the only information we have on the game is a logo and let us be honest, given the development time that is likely not same logo anymore. Now you might have seen things about gamers being asked to register their interest in Metroid Prime 4, or even job listings for artists to help make things more emotional, but none of that is official. The game was announced and apart from a restart, there has been nothing said publicly by Nintendo since. We all know that Nintendo love to play things close to the chest, but at this point its not playing anymore its just being mean and fans of the series are growing tired of waiting.
Perfect Dark
Developer: The Initiative | Publisher: Xbox Game Studios | Revealed: Dec 2020
When Xbox head Phil Spencer stated in 2018 that they were staring up a new studio called The Initiative and it would be lead by industry veteran Darrell Gallagher, rumours quickly surface that the game they were going to make was a Perfect Dark reboot. Fast forward to December 2020 and during The Game Awards, we got a trailer confirming that was the case and it got fans of the series excited and with the stellar quality that was Perfect Dark Zero, anything new would surely be better and welcome.
Then in September 2021 it was revealed that the studio had hired Crystal Dynamics, who had just finished up their first year of support for Marvel’s Avengers, to help work on the game. Then February 2022 saw the game lose its director and then over the rest of the year more senior staff left, all providing various reasons and it wasn’t until November 2022 that Xbox Games Studios head Matt Booty revealed that they are still working on the game. So in the 2 years since the game was revealed, there has been nothing shown on it, no new art, story info… just silence, except of course for the developers leaving the company. None of that bodes well for the end product and with the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 coming and going without any word on the title, things are not looking good for Joanna once again.
Project 007
Developer: IO Interactive | Publisher: IO Interactive | Revealed: Nov 2020
James Bond games are nothing new the first title released in 1982 and while it would be many years until Goldeneye 007 would hit Nintendo 64, the series had plenty of games. Post Goldeneye, a lot of the games were directly tied to the movies of the time, with The World is Not Enough, Quantum of Solace and From Russia With Love all getting releases. The last title to release was 2012 007 Legends, which took inspiration from six classic James Bond movies and made mini games from them and then the series went silent.
In November 2020, Hitman developer IO Interactive announced that they were picking up the rights and creating an all-new James Bond game. At the time it was billed as an original story for the character, one that would have players stepping into the shoes of a young Bond as he earns his 00 status, think the black and white sequence from Casino Royale. However in the 2.5 years since then, there has been nothing released about the game, no new story information, just nothing except one small thing. The studio has also announced a brand new fantasy game is in development, and while they do have a number of locations, they are not insanely large. Given that their fantasy game has more information revealed about it than their 007 game, I wouldn’t expect to hear much on this for a long time.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Developer: GSC Game World | Publisher: GSC Game World | Revealed: Dec 2018
Full disclosure on this one, the game should have been out by now, but the developers country was invaded by another and plunged them into war, which has refocused their efforts elsewhere. It seems though that there was still much the team wanted to do and while it missed its scheduled 2022 release, they did come out with a gameplay trailer at the end of the year, stating they are aiming for a 2023 release.
The games development has been just as rocky before Ukraine was invaded, with the studio closing its doors for a few years, before coming back together to restart development. Either way right now the game is on track, but who knows if they will stick the landing.
Splinter Cell Remake
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto | Publisher: Ubisoft | Revealed: Dec 2021
Friends of mine know that Tom Clancy is my favourite author and as such I have a strong connection to the early games that have his named attached, which includes the original Splinter Cell. I love the series as a whole, to the point I am streaming them from start to finish, but the first game holds a special place, so to hear it was getting remade, made me happy. But that was 18 months ago and since then we have had a few pieces of concept art and that is about it.
October 2022 saw the games director leave Ubisoft and only months before the VR title, a different game all together, was cancelled and with last year being the 20th anniversary of the series, many were hoping for news. Even Ubisoft Forward 2023 failed to deliver any news, even the montage portion, was devoid of anything Tom Clancy related. Personally as a fan, I want to know more and as a series, there are countless players who are waiting to step out of the shadows again.
Star Wars FPS
Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Revealed: Jan 2022
Star Wars games are pretty common these days, there isn’t really a platform that doesn’t get something from a galaxy far, far away, but when word dropped that a new first person shooter, from Respawn Entertainment was on its way, people took notice. Revealed alongside two additional games and confirmed to be directed by Peter Hirschmann, who directed Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond for VR and oversaw more than a dozen Star Wars games while he was at LucasArts, people were excited.
That was 18 months ago and since then, there has been nothing revealed on the game. Given the studio just shipped Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it is possible they didn’t want to murky the Star Wars waters with details on multiple games from the one studio at the same time, but hey, that isn’t the case now. It has been quite a while since we had a dedicated first person shooter game set within the world of Star Wars, not counting the multiplayer focused Battlefront series, so news on this one can’t come soon enough.
We’re excited to announce THREE new Star Wars games officially in the works from @Respawn. Read more and pass on what you’ve learned: https://t.co/pKZFHqDA1W pic.twitter.com/n1byCzaDtL
— EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) January 25, 2022
Star Wars game
Developer: Skydance New Media | Publisher: Lucasfilm Games | Revealed: April 2022
There are a lot of Star Wars games in this list and this is perhaps the one we know the least about. We know that the game is being created at Skydance New Media, which was a studio created by Amy Hennig, the creator of the Uncharted series. The problem is that is all we know, there are no platforms, Star Wars timelines, nothing. Just the fact that they are making it. Given the team are also working on a Marvel games, it is possible this is the one that is secondary in their priority, but there is no way of knowing. Regardless of its priorities, we just have to wait for news.
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake
Developer: Sabre Interactive | Publisher: Sabre Interactive | Revealed: Sep 2021
In September 2021, Aspyr Media wow’d the gaming world when they revealed they were working on a remake of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, considered to be one of the best Star Wars games around. The remake was revealed with a trailer happening, that just showed off a CGI Sith igniting a lightsabre and it seems that was all we were going to get for a while.
In May 2022 the team at Aspyr Media were joined by Sabre Interactive to help develop the game and then in July 2022, the game was apparently put on indefinite hold. Embracer, the company that owns both of the studios and a lot more, has stated that the game is moving ahead, but the design and art directors have reportedly been fired, with the writer of the game also leaving. During a May 2023 financial briefing the game was confirmed to still be in development, but there is no word on its state. The problem is that since that first trailer, which again was not gameplay, gamers have seen nothing since and with all the closed doors drama, it doesn’t bode well for the game.
Star Wars Strategy Game
Developer: BitReactor/Respawn Entertainment | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Revealed: Jan 2022
When Respawn Entertainment announced the Star Wars FPS above, they also announced that they were developing a strategy game alongside new studio BitReactor. The studio was revealed mere days before the game was announced and is actually made up of a lot of former Firaxis devs, many of whom worked on titles like XCOM.
Sadly just like the Star Wars FPS, there has been nothing else revealed on the project, not even a hint as to the type of strategy it is going to use. Given the studio is still hiring, its not likely we will see something soon, but with 18 months between its announcement and now, one would hope there is something to share.
Star Wars: Eclipse
Developer: Quantic Dream | Publisher: Quantic Dream | Revealed: Dec 2021
When The Game Awards role around each year, there are a few reveals of games we know nothing about and this one caught everyone off guard. Star Wars Eclipse has a few first to its name, the first first is that it’s completely set during the High Republic, which makes it the first game to do so, the second first is that it will be the first Star Wars game to offer multiple characters, all with choices made by the player. The second one isn’t a brand new concept when you consider that Quantic Dream are making it.
The problem is that since its reveal in December 2021, there has been no single update on the game. An interview in September 2022 stated the game was still in development and would be similar to other games from the studio but would still offer new experiences as well. We are quickly approaching 2 years on this one and some of the other Star Wars games in this list and like the others, there is nothing new on this since its reveal and that needs to change.
Star Wars: Hunters
Developer: BossAlien | Publisher: Zynga | Revealed: Feb 2021
The oldest Star Wars game on this list is one that should have bene released by now, but the game just keeps getting delayed. Revealed in the February 2021 Nintendo Direct, the game was billed as coming later that year, then it got pushed to early 2022 and then later in the year. A few mobile based tech tests did happen, and the game has ‘soft launched’ which is the mobile version of early access, but its still not complete and the Switch version is without a date.
The game does provide updates somewhat consistently, but given we are now almost 2 years from its initial release date and the game still doesn’t have one, that is not great. Making it even worse, the game has been given a tie-in novel already, which released back in March, before the game was even completed. So for many Switch owners and those who don’t live in the soft launch regions, the hunt is on for a release date here.
State of Decay 3
Developer: Undead Labs | Publisher: Xbox Game Studios | Revealed: July 2020
This is becoming a trend in this list, another Xbox Showcase reveal that has vanished into the fog of development. State of Decay 3 was announced months after the second game got its final content release and many expected this to have a quick turn around. Turns out that was not the case as development on the third entry had not even begun by the time the trailer had released.
In the now 3 years since the game was announced, there hasn’t been anything publicly revealed on the game, though there are reports of dissension among the ranks of the developers. Given this is a sequel being made in a new engine, the core mechanics will be the same, but will need to be rebuilt from the ground up and as the developer isn’t the biggest, that will be a slow process. The problem is that 3 years is plenty of time to get the basics locked down and not having any news is not a great look, when you billed as big Xbox Series X title, during its debut year.
System Shock 3
Developer: OtherSide | Publisher: OtherSide | Revealed: Dec 2015
With the System Shock Remake having launched this year, our review can be found here, the appetite for more System Shock is quite high, which is why not having anything on the 3rd entry in the series is a let down. Development started on the game back in 2015, before the developer even had the ability to use the name and then in 2016 Warren Spector joined the company to help make the game, but then many things happened. The games publisher pulled out due to their own financial issues, many of the team left the company in 2019 and 2020, including Spector and then Covid hit.
In May 2020, it was reported that Tencent had picked up the game and were leading the charge on it, with OtherSide still working on it as well, but that was the last update we got on it. Fans of the series were excited when System Shock news came out of Gamescom 2022, but that was sadly just that Nightdive Studios would remake the second game, once the first shipped. System Shock 3 seems to be stuck somewhere in development hell, there is no word on who exactly is developing it, who is involved or even when its aiming to release, you might hope its just a bug, but given its less than smooth development cycle until now, a hard reset might be best.
The Outer Worlds 2
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Publisher: Xbox Game Studios | Revealed: June 2021
Obsidian Entertainment surprised many when they made a Fallout New Vegas spiritual successor in The Outer Worlds and the game gained a lot of attention from the players, so when it was announced that they were making a sequel to it, people got happy. That was 2 years ago and in that time, we have had no updates on the game and Obsidian is not small, they have shipped 2 games and are working on another.
Pentiment and Grounded were both made by smaller scale teams, with Avowed being crafted by the team behind Pillars of Eternity. The same team that made The Outer Worlds is working on the sequel and earlier this year, fans got excited when the Outer Worlds social accounts shared news, sadly it was for a next-gen optimised released. With it being 2 years since there was any sort of update and the studio now down to 2 publicly revealed games, you might think they would talk about them, but it seems they didn’t want to make that choice.
Timesplitters 4
Developer: Free Radical Design | Publisher: Deep Silver/Plaion | Revealed: May 2021
Technically, Timesplitters 4 was cancelled back in 2009 when Free Radical Design went under and while the studio was saved/reborn via Crytek, they were not allowed to work on the game. A few years later the studio was rumoured to be working on a new game, but nothing came of that, until Crytek sold the now titled Dambusters Studios, off to Embracer. In 2018 then Koch Media, now Plaion, revealed that they had obtained the Timesplitters licence and then a year later Steve Ellis, someone who worked on Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark and the original Timesplitters titles, was hired to work on this new instalment.
But it was in May 2021 when the official confirmation that Timesplitters was getting a new entry, with David Doak, the other creator of the series and fellow Rare alum, would be back at the studio working on it. Since that news, there has been nothing from the team, the studio or the publisher. The branding has appeared in a few Deep Silver published games, most recently in Dead Island 2, but as for new info, that is like a monkey in a suit of armour, unlikely to be seen anytime soon.
Wolverine Game
Developer: Insomniac Games | Publisher: PlayStation Studios | Revealed: Sep 2021
Revealed right after Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 during a PlayStation Showcase, we have only heard that the team at Insomniac Games would be working on this, once Spider-Man 2 ships. They have stuck to that plan, as there has been no single piece of information on the game released since. The only news we got was just after the trailer was released and that was the game was very early in development.
One can hope that with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 now dated, development on this one will pick up, but with a Spring 2024 release window the hope of many, we might not hear anything on it until later this year, or even until next year.
Wonder Woman Game
Developer: Monolith Productions | Publisher: WB Games | Revealed: Dec 2021
Much like the other comic book character above, this game was announced via a small trailer and since then, there has been nothing revealed on it. The developer, Monolith Productions (not to be confused with Monolith Soft from Xenoblade fame) has confirmed that some form of the nemesis system from the studios Lord of the Rings games, would make an appearance, but beyond that, we know nothing.
Given the studio is still attempting to hire for a number of lead roles for the game, a release any time soon is unlikely, to the point that it would be a wonder if this game releases at all.
So there we go, a lot of games and a whole lot more waiting for news. Of course, this is not the complete list of games, there are countless more still in a development bubble, but these are perhaps some of the biggest.
Have any of the games in this list, been added to your wishlist? Or is there a game that we missed that you think should have been there? Be sure to let us know.
