10 Rare Video Games That Survived Development Hell

10. Team Fortress 2 - 9 Years

After Team Fortress became a global phenomenon, Valve hired the creators of the Quake mod to work on a sequel. Since Team Fortress 2 was announced at E3 one month later in 1998, it looked like it would be out in no time.

When Valve decided the military shooter would work better if it adopted the new Source game engine, fans expected TF2 would be delayed.

That's when something very strange happened... or didn't happen, depending on how you look at it. For the next six years, updates on Team Fortress 2 were non-existent. No photos. No trailers. Nothing. Every time this coveted FPS didn't make an appearance at E3, it fuelled rumours the project had been shelved indefinitely.

But in 2006, Team Fortress 2 was re-revealed at EA's Summer Showcase. Due to its cartoony aesthetic, viewers could barely recognise the footage was cut from the same cloth as its predecessor.

Interestingly, the game's new look is what delayed development in the first place. Desperate to give the long-awaited sequel a distinct appearance, the developers built "three to four different games," each with unique designs. Only after the team agreed on the cartoony presentation was Team Fortress 2 reintroduced to the public.