10 Video Games That Were Scrapped AFTER Being Almost Finished
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned
Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned was an ambitious attempt to develop an open world action-RPG based on the hit movie franchise, from Turok (2008) and Tron: Evolution developers Propaganda Games.
The game was set 10-15 years before the events of the first movie, focusing on a new pirate captain as they sail the Caribbean Sea and try to make a name for themselves.
Armada of the Damned was first announced at E3 2009, and garnered positive responses from most journalists who had the opportunity to play it, with many comparing it favourably to the Assassin's Creed franchise.
There's a ton of gameplay footage out there from press previews, making it abundantly clear that the game was deep into development and close to completion.
However in October 2010, apparently mere months away from its intended release date, Disney laid off most of Propaganda's development team as part of a corporate restructuring plan, immediately resulting in Armada of the Damned's cancellation.
Given that Pirates of the Caribbean was still an absolutely huge IP in 2010 - with the fourth film, On Stranger Tides, grossing over $1 billion the very next year - it's totally maddening that Disney thought it financially sound to cancel such a promising, near-finished title.