10 Rejected Video Game Ideas Literally EVERYONE Would've Loved

A Metroidvania Dark Souls game sounds AMAZING.

Prince of persia redemption
Ubisoft

Creating a video game tends to be a damn long process.

Before a game finds its way into the hands, or hard drives, of consumers it goes through stages upon stages of development. Before that even, it is merely an idea in the minds of the core team. Watching documentaries on our favourite games allows us to watch a game go from concept art to something truly brilliant.

But what about the games that don't make it to that final moment of glory? What about the rejects?

For every pitch that gets approved and, after the long process of development, becomes a finished video game there are no doubts dozens more than don't make it. Every idea for a game has it's own life. Some are merely just a thought, some get test builds, some even get approval before they eventually die off for whatever reason.

This list will look at video games that were either picked up and then dropped or outright shunned from the off-set that, despite everything, have sparks of greatness in them.

10. Zwei (Resident Evil Creator's Cancelled Horror)

Prince of persia redemption
Bethesda Softworks

When Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami announced his return to the world of horror in 2012 alongside some concept artwork of a dark and unsettling locale there was a collective rubbing together of hands within the games industry. The Godfather of survival horror was back and promising big things with his upcoming title, at the time codenamed “Zwei”.

The product this became was The Evil Within which, whilst a perfectly adequate game, was quite unremarkable. Mikami, in later years, regretted that he went back to his roots too much rather than pushed the game into new avenues of terror.

Especially because the original designs for Zwei may well have just done that. The name, German for “2”, refers to the fact the story would’ve been led by a man and a woman chained together, attempting to survive some no doubt horrible situation in their pursuit of hunting down a vampire.

Who out there can say that doesn’t sound awesome?

In general, vampires are somewhat weirdly under-represented in the horror space of video games thanks to their often kitsch and over-the-top presentation in media (be that the high collars of Dracula or the sparkling of Edward Cullen). Better yet, this would’ve pre-dated the success of co-operative focused titles like A Way Out and It Takes Two.

By walking the road more travelled, Mikami sadly left behind a exceptionally exciting idea.

Contributor
Contributor

The Red Mage of WhatCulture. Very long hair. She/they.