For all the good games that graced the PS4, it's hard not to dwell on what could have been. This is to say with the PS5 inching ever closer into the hands of gamers, it might be a good time to reflect on what never reached the console.
Some of these games Sony had a hand in canceling while others were canned at other companies. The most painful of which might be related to a certain demo, but that's a good enough tease for now. Let's dig through the past seven years and find out what went wrong with these games.
10 EverQuest Next
The EverQuest series started in 1999 with its sequel, EverQuest II, launching in 2004. EverQuest Next was going to be the next evolution point and one more ambitious than the previous entries. It would also feature a simultaneous launch with the PS4 alongside the PC version. It was announced in 2013 and officially canceled in 2016. Interestingly enough both EverQuest and its sequel are still getting expansions as of last year.
9 Gnomageddon
SIE San Diego Studio was working on a multiplayer, tower-defense type shooter called Gnomageddon. Actually, two teams were working on multiplayer shooters with the others developing Kill Strain. As that game was struggling, members from Gnomageddon had to be pulled away to finish the project. Kill Strain launched in 2016 and was shut down less than a year later. Because of that game’s turmoil, Gnomageddon never saw the light of day. Unseen64 has more on this, including gameplay, if one is interested.
8 Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 was announced at E3 2014 with a CG trailer. Gameplay was then shown at that year’s Gamescom, but other than that, the game disappeared. Techland, the original’s developer, started focusing on Dying Light, with another team, Yager, picking up the slack for this sequel.
In 2016 Sumo Digital took over and then last year Dambuster Studios became the lead developer. With so many developers over six years and no official word, other than a leaked demo recently, this game is probably canceled.
7 Wild
Wild was also announced at a 2014 Gamescom event. This was a new game from Michel Ancel, who recently left Ubisoft. The game was shown again in 2015 at Paris Games Week and that was the game’s final formal presentation. In 2017 Michel Ancel went back to collaborate with Ubisoft when it was announced at that at E3 that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was on the way. Both this, and that game, are up for debate on whether they are canceled or not.
6 Skytorn
Skytorn was first shown off at the 2014 PSX event. It was being developed by the same team as Celeste, which would eventually come out in 2018. With that game out, fans expected Skytorn to follow soon. Unfortunately it was canceled in 2018 instead. The game looked like it was going to be a Metroidvania set in a sprawling set of sky dungeons. There is plenty of footage out there for those curious.
5 Hollowpoint
Hollowpoint was announced in 2014 and was last seen in 2015. That said the game has never officially been canceled. It was going to be a squad based multiplayer shooter. It was being developed by Ruffian Games and published by Paradox Interactive. For those curious, Ruffian’s biggest game was probably Crackdown 2 before this started development, which wasn’t the highest reviewed game around.
4 Runemaster
Another Paradox Interactive joint that is probably canceled is Runemaster. In this case they were also developing it internally. Announced in 2014, the game looked like it was going to be a Diablo type, top-down RPG.
There has been no coverage of it since 2014 so it’s a safe bet that the game will never see the light of day. What can be seen are a few videos of it online.
3 Silent Hills
The P.T. demo was announced and launched at Gamescom 2014. Those savvy enough discovered it was actually Silent Hills. The game was notable for being directed by Hideo Kojima and would star Norman Reedus. In 2015 the game was canceled followed by Kojima leaving Konami in order to pursuit his own goals. Reedus and Kojima would reunite for Death Stranding, which, in a way, has some Silent Hills DNA in it.
2 The Modern Zombie Taxi Co.
The Modern Zombie Taxi Co. was announced at PSX 2015 as a PSVR game. That was the last and only time it was brought out. As it has been absent for five years now, plans to release it are probably slim. The game in question was a taxi simulator, but one wherein drivers would wheel around zombies in comical mischief.
1 Project Rap Rabbit
Project Rap Rabbit hit the Kickstarter scene in 2017. It was supposed to be the spiritual successor to PaRappa the Rapper, but would instead star a rapping rabbit set in the feudal era of Japan. Some gameplay concepts were shown off in the pitch. Unfortunately it did not meet its goal as it hit £161,557, but needed £855,000. The game was then presumably canceled.