10 Incredible Video Games That Never Existed

Cancelled in 2000, Earthbound 64 began development in 1994, and was delayed multiple times prior to its eventual cancellation. In Japan, a version of the game was released in 2006, entitled Mother 3, and was generally well received by fans and critics alike. Outside of Japan, Earthbound 64 never materialised, despite being rumoured to be over 50% complete.

Production on Earthbound 64 persisted for years, and was ported from console to console throughout the 90s. The game was originally planned to be released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but was later moved to the N64, and finally the GameCube.

The cancellation itself was the result of several contributing factors, two of which related directly to the game being overly ambitious. Despite his lack of experience, Shigesato Itoi developed Earthbound 64 using 3D technologies, which ultimately exceeded the capabilities of the platform.

Likewise, the game was rumoured to be over sixty hours in length, which would have made it the longest game in the entire series.

In the end, Earthbound 64 couldn’t meet its own unrealistic expectations, and was left playing catch up for years prior to its eventual cancellation. In fairness, Nintendo did everything within their power to keep the project alive, but it was ultimately sunk by its own ambition.

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Are there any we missed? Let us now in the comments which other in-development games got shafted before release?