10 More Video Games Cancelled For Ridiculous Reasons
3. Sony Made The Developers Finish Lair Instead - Animal Wars
Animal Wars was an action-RPG from Factor 5 (Star Wars: Rogue Squadron) that began development in 2004 as a PS3 exclusive. Per its title, the game would focus on anthropomorphic animals battling one another during The Great War.
Despite the extensive concept art leaked for the game, development was basically undertaken by a skeleton crew.
And before much of the game could actually be assembled, Factor 5's relationship with Sony began to curdle, as the studio's bigger PS3 exclusive, Lair, was struggling through development.
As a result, Sony cut off funding intended for Animal Wars and funnelled it instead into Lair, forcing them to complete that game while leaving no money behind for Animal Wars, causing its de facto cancellation.
The tragic irony is that Lair went on to receive wildly mixed reviews and tank commercially, while those who worked on Animal Wars insist that it was an extremely promising project, far more so than Lair.