10 Video Game Levels Removed For Being Too Hard

It's relatively well known that a White House level was cut during development of the original Deus Ex, and though for literally decades it's been rumoured that developer Ion Storm was pressured by the actual White House to remove the level for security reasons, that's not remotely true.

The White House was actually the first level built for the game due to its complexity, but ended up being cut because, according to game director Warren Spector himself, it was too mechanically complex - not for players, but for the game engine itself.

The size of the White House map, modelled off actual blueprints of the building, was ultimately too big to run in the engine to a satisfactory degree. 

As a result, Spector would've needed to cut the White House into several smaller maps separated by loading screens, but given that this went against his dream of a seamless, single-level rendition of the iconic building, he cut the entire level instead.

Though some assets created for the level remain in the game's code - namely chairs and other assorted furniture - passionate modders eventually decided to just build the White House level themselves, the result of which is pretty damn impressive.