10 Dumbest Reasons Video Games ALMOST Got Cancelled
2. Various - Metroid Prime
It's hard to think of a beloved gaming franchise that's endured more development problems than Metroid. Metroid Dread was delayed for 12 years. We still have no idea when Metroid Prime 4 is coming out.
And when you look as the issues the original Prime experienced, it's hard to know where to begin. Things were off to a rocky start when Shigeru Miyamoto tossed the project to Retro Studios after four of their IPs were abruptly cancelled. Miyamoto regularly demanded last-minute changes, which took an eternity to implement. Although the team worked up to a hundred hours per week, it took half a year just to complete the first section.
By this point, you'd expect the crew would get some extra help. Instead, 75% of the staff was let go, leaving nine people to complete the project.
Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, Retro Studios founder, Jeffrey Spangenberg, thought this was the ideal time to use the company's money to register a website depicting him with topless women. (Yes, seriously.) After Spangenberg was fired, communication in Retro Studios was in disarray.
On top of that, the gaming community wasn't particularly hyped for Prime, since many didn't like how the game was turned into a first-person shooter. Because the fans weren't invested, nobody would've been surprised if the higher-ups pulled the plug.
Although Metroid Prime should've been an unmitigated disaster, it became one of the most celebrated gaming titles of all time.