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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 20h

Something a little different for GTW. John Hardie got in touch after uncovering original FlexiCAD vector drawings for Atari's unreleased Jaguar/CD combination console on an old Atari floppy disk. We've added a quick entry and the surviving design images: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/atar...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 28/09/2026

A little Commodore 64 preservation today with an early prototype of Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo from 1991 added to Games That Weren't. Likely a progress build, there's no sound and potentially a few differences to the final game. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/scoo...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 28/09/2026

FREEZE issue 88 has just landed thanks to @freeze64.bsky.social, and perfect timing for reading on the bus this week. Had a quick scan and the interview with Martin Walker and feature on Back to the Future looks brill, can't wait to dive in! Available soon via: freeze64.com/freeze64-iss...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 21/09/2026

MELT, a lost 1997 PC game featuring Iron Maiden's Eddie, has been recovered! We're releasing a build for the first time, along with source code and an updated version for modern PCs. We also speak to developer Paul Tebbutt. Thanks to Tamaracade for their earlier research.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 18/09/2026

A fascinating piece of early Atari 2600 dev history! "City by the Lake" was a 1981 technical demo by Western Technologies, featuring a jet flying over a shimmering city landscape. We take a look at its story and share footage of the surviving demo. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/city...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 16/09/2026

Square Enix's bizarre Xbox 360 exclusive Gun Loco was cancelled in 2011, but several development builds have since been recovered. We look back at the game and its preservation, and highlight Aeritha's incredible six-hour prototype longplay. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/gun-...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 14/09/2026

Lost for 38 years, until today! A set of completely different Amstrad CPC builds of Vixen have been preserved. Following our earlier ZX Spectrum discovery, we take a look at once lost builds of Martech's 1988 game, thanks again to Dean Hickingbottom. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/vixe...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 11/09/2026

The Settlers almost made it to Game Boy Advance, with a small Hyperion team developing for Ubisoft. Simon Butler recalls it being only a month or two from completion when suddenly cancelled. Could a prototype still survive? (Amiga shot via Lemon Amiga) www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/the-...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 10/09/2026

Amazing to see this surface this morning! Rare's Project Dream, the SNES RPG that evolved into Banjo-Kazooie, has had its early proof-of-concept prototype anonymously released after all these years. Thanks to VinciusMedeiro (via Twitter) for the heads up!

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 09/09/2026

Hired Guns almost had an enhanced AGA/CD32 version, with better graphics, lighting, sound, weapons and more. We take a detailed look and speak with Steve Hammond about its history, preservation and ideas that never made it, as well as scans of the original unseen manual.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 07/09/2026

An early prototype/demo of Dro Soft's Duck Out for ZX Spectrum has been preserved from the Clockwize archives. Likely sent out while seeking a publisher, the build contains two levels, cut scenes and some interesting differences from the final game. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/duck...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 02/09/2026

After previous cancelled attempts on consoles, DC's Lobo almost got another shot in 2003. Kemco's action game was planned for Xbox, GameCube and PS2, with ten environments, multiple weapons and even different forms for Lobo, before being cancelled. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/lobo/

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 01/09/2026

While researching the cancelled LMNO, we spoke with design consultant Jason Rohrer about his work prototyping its "Memory Dive" concept. Jason dug out his old archives and has now generously released the playable proof-of-concepts and source code!

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 31/08/2026

Czarny Kruk was an ambitious adventure in development for the Amiga by Seven Stars, before problems completing its painted backgrounds brought the project to an end. Thanks to Rygar, we're today revealing previously unseen materials from the game: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/08/czar...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 29/08/2026

Our August Commodore 64 archive update is here, with 1 new GTW entry, 15 game updates and a fantastic batch of 15 previously unpreserved Grolier/Mindflight titles recovered thanks to MalcSeventyFour. Another busy month for C64 preservation! www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/08/gtw6...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 24/08/2026

FREEZE issue 87 has arrived just in time for the long bus journey to work thanks to @freeze64.bsky.social . Currently enjoying the feature on the making of Road Runner, Thin Ice and the making of Operation Vostoka. Grab your copy from: freeze64.com/freeze64-iss...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 24/08/2026

Here is an early prototype of the Mario Kart clone: 'Prehistorik Kart' on Nintendo GameBoy Advance. This was due as a compilation bonus for the GBA release of Prehistorik Man by Titus in 2001, but never made the cut. It was released by Games That Weren't in 2024.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 23/08/2026

Just been informed that Aeritha/Glitchgod has got some video of it running on real hardware and some screenshots, so updating our page :)

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 19/08/2026

Lost for 33 years, we recovered the original abandoned development of Total Recall for the Commodore 64 in 2023. It's a very different game from the version Ocean eventually released.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 12/08/2026

Today we've updated our archive entry for the unreleased versions of Kevin Keegan's Player Manager, adding newly recovered graphical assets from a lost SEGA Mega Drive conversion. Dedicated to the memory of the great Kevin Keegan (1951-2026). www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/01/kevi...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 05/08/2026

A lovely huge preservation update today! Thanks to @malcseventyfour.bsky.social, 15 previously unpreserved Commodore 64 educational titles from Grolier/Mindflight have now been recovered, including the long sought-after The Story of Miss Mouse and Rhyme Land. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/08/grol...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 04/08/2026

While Garfield Gets Real made it to the Nintendo DS, a Wii version was also planned but quietly disappeared. Very little is known today, with just a single music track surviving from the cancelled project. More details: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/08/garf...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 03/08/2026

Before Ocean Software's Madballs, there was another! A very different pinball game in development for Amstrad CPC at Ariolasoft before the licence slipped away. Thanks to Ian Munro + Nicholas Campbell, you can now check out the prototype in the archives: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/08/madb...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 01/08/2026

Two long-lost Atari 5200 prototypes have been recovered from Frank Cohen's source code archives. Mail Boy (early Cohen's Towers) and Topsy Turvee are now preserved thanks to a fantastic community effort. More details: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/08/two-... Image credit: AtariProtos

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 01/08/2026

FREEZE ZX #4 arrived just in time for a quick break away on Friday, so perfect timing whilst being gratefully abandoned in a tap room for a few hours. Enjoying the interview with Steve Godwin and look forward to finishing the rest! @freeze-zx.bsky.social More info: freeze64.com/freeze-zx-is...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 29/07/2026

Today is our July 2026 update for Games That Weren't 64 (Commodore 64) with an advanced preview of Trigger Happy added, Eye of Horus pre-release disk, one new entry into the archive and 17 other updates to existing entries. See you next month! www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/gtw6...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 27/07/2026

Today we've added S.O.S., a long lost 1993 Hungarian Commodore Plus/4 game where you pilot a rescue boat to save drowning people. Another small but important piece of gaming history preserved thanks to Csaba Virág: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/s-o-s/

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 24/07/2026

One of Poland's most ambitious unreleased RPGs... Tower of the World promised a huge living fantasy world for PC and Amiga users before cancellation. We've now added the story and a collection of previously unseen development images to the archive. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/towe...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 23/07/2026

FREEZE issue 86 has arrived thanks to @freeze64.bsky.social ! Can't wait to check out the feature on Chuckie Egg and interview with its developer Sean Townsend. Will be interesting to see what crap games Julian is covering too and more. Thanks buddy! freeze64.com/freeze64-iss...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 22/07/2026

Something a little different today! We've preserved a pre-release version of Logotron's Eye of Horus for C64, featuring a unique disk label with a version number and what seems to be a built-in cheat mode. Spot any differences from the retail release? www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/eye-...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 21/07/2026

XLR8 was an extremely fast Wipeout style game on bikes that was due for release on PC, PlayStation and Arcade platforms. The game would ultimately never see completion, but thankfully builds of the game have managed to sneak out for you to play!

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 17/07/2026

Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 3 was in development for the PlayStation 2 but never saw release. Only a small glimpse of the game has surfaced so far. Could more of the game still survive and can it one day be preserved? www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/army...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 17/07/2026

A previously unseen prototype of Mountain King for the Atari 8-bit has been recovered by John Hardie from a former Roklan employee's disk, revealing a build from before K-Byte acquired the publishing rights. More details: www.atarimania.com/game-atari-4...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 15/07/2026

Did you know a traditional Super Mario platformer was once in development for the Philips CD-i? Super Mario's Wacky Worlds would have taken Mario on a bizarre adventure across Ancient Greece, Egypt, pirate ships, the Arctic and beyond before it was ultimately cancelled.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 13/07/2026

More for the Amstrad CPC today on Games That Weren't with release of a very early Shoot-Em-Up by Clockwize from the late 1980s. This recovery was made thanks to Dean Hickingbottom and a nice early glimpse at what could have been a nice budget title. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/unna...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 10/07/2026

A more advanced preview of the unreleased Commodore 64 shoot-em-up Trigger Happy has surfaced! Featuring improved graphics and more developed attack waves, it's a fascinating glimpse at what might have been. www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/trigge... Huge thanks to Hedning/GP!

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 10/07/2026

Developed by Titus, but ultimately never released, Ninjanimal was intended as a beat-em-up inspired by Altered Beast. Surviving Atari ST and Amiga prototypes along with developer insight reveal the story behind this strange lost project: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/ninj...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 08/07/2026

With Starglider 2 set to feature in the upcoming "Memories of Rainbird and Beyond Software" Kickstarter, here's a look back at the unreleased C64 conversion, its preservation story and the playable preview that survives today. www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/stargl...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 07/07/2026

Did you know a brand new Gauntlet game was completed for the Nintendo DS... but never released? Despite being reviewed by magazines such as Retro Gamer, the game was cancelled before it reached the shelves. Thankfully it survives today.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 06/07/2026

Epsilon is an impressive early unreleased vertical shoot-em-up for the Commodore 64 by Paul Hughes and Dawn Drake, originally in development for Rainbird in 1988. Preview builds, source code and its fascinating story have thankfully survived: www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/epsilon/

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 05/07/2026

The original Commodore PET versions of Supersoft's Catacombs and Goblin Towers (1981), thought lost for around 45 years, have now been recovered, preserved and released by Marcel Lansing! Read the full story here: commodoregames.net/catacombs.asp

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 02/07/2026

Source code has been recovered for Imagitec's unreleased Raiden (Amiga/Atari Falcon), suggesting 8 Amiga levels plus extra Falcon content beyond the known 3-level build. We've also added early Space Junk sources! Huge thanks to tomseddon and dlfrsilver! www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/07/raid...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 30/06/2026

A new prototype preserved. With huge thanks to Benedykt Dziubałtowski for securing permission from the original authors, we're delighted to release a very early Game Boy Advance prototype of the unreleased fighter, Franko 2: No Mercy.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 29/06/2026

Raiden was one of the biggest arcade shooters of the 1990s. But did you know planned Amiga and Atari Falcon conversions never made it to release? Today we take a look at both surviving versions and what happened to them.

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 27/06/2026

Very rare footage and screenshots of Big Five Software's unreleased Scraper Caper for the Atari 8-bit range has resurfaced. See Bounty Bob's abandoned firefighting adventure and what might have been. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/04/scra...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 26/06/2026

Big month for the Commodore 64 archive! Arcade Wizzard finally recovered after 22 years of searching, joined by the complete unreleased game Void, an Australian prototype of Aussie Games, two newly preserved releases, 3 new entries and 14 archive updates: www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/06/lost...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 24/06/2026

The Acrobat was an ambitious comic book-style adventure by Simon Price and Mike Lewis, planned for PC, Atari ST and Amiga before MicroProse cancelled the project. Released today on Games That Weren't, including the surviving source code. www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/06/the-...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 22/06/2026

A look back at the Robocop PlayStation tech demo created by Realtime Associates as a pitch submission. Released into the GTW archives back in 2012, it offers a glimpse at what might have been before the licence went elsewhere. Video below. #PlayStation #Robocop

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 20/06/2026

Another preservation release today was a rare Commodore 64 prototype of Australian Games. This Australian version includes several differences from the released builds: www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/austra...

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Games That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 20/06/2026

One of the other main preservations today was Void for Commodore 64. Originally intended as a budget cassette release through Software Licensing Marketing, this complete unreleased game from Tony Smales never made it to shelves after publishing changes: www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/void/

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