10 Video Games That Languished In Development For Years
6. Spore (2008)
Development Time: 8 Years (2000 to 2008)
Spore was a fun real-time life simulation and strategy game, which enabled players to create unique creatures, cultivate and evolve them, and ultimately, take over the universe. The game was praised upon release for its creativity, but it would have come out much sooner than it did were it not for some significant delays.
Spore was first announced at the 2005 Game Developers Conference with its official unveiling coming at E3 a short while later. Despite the announcement coming in 2005, the game was already in development for five years. Will Wright began working on the title in 2000 under the name SimEverything, but it hit numerous delays thanks to the development of The Sims Online and other games.
As soon as the prospect of creating and evolving life through numerous stages of development was discussed, fans began asking about the game. Considering what the game was promising, and what it ultimately delivered, that's not surprising, but more time would pass before the game could come out.
Development of the game continued with a projected release in 2007, but it wouldn't hit the store shelves until September 7, 2008. The game was under development off and on for eight years.