When a video game cancellation is announced, generally gamers are divided into two groups. The first group is heartbroken, saddened by the loss of what could have been and jilted that their favorite titles won't ever get the chance to really thrive. The second group is relieved, thankful that such a commercial flop has been abandoned and excited that the freed up time and resources can be better spent elsewhere.
Occasionally, a canceled game has a third group of people. This group had no idea the game was being worked on to begin with. Every console has its share of games that didn't survive the production process and the SNES was no exception to that rule. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System had several such projects that, for better or for worse, were abandoned before most fans even knew they had begun.
10 Baby's Day Out
In 1994, Baby's Day Out became a box office flop, earning back only $16.7 million of its over $48 million budget. The film featured three hapless criminals chasing a wealthy baby unsuccessfully all over Chicago. Baby's Day Out has since become a cult classic.
The video game was doomed from the start. Unlike other successful games that had the director work with studios, Baby's Day Out focused, instead, on a guardian angel that saves the baby as he gets into trouble. That wasn't even in the film, ensuring this canceled game would neither have a "cult" nor ever be a "classic."
9 Congo: Secret Of Zinj
Congo was a popular book by Michael Crichton that would later be developed into a motion picture. The movie wasn't a bust by any means, but it was short-lived at the box office. Critics hated the film version, and the talk was about how much better the book was than the movie.
The game was, sadly, based on the unpopular movie and not the intriguing book. With an extensive history of smash hit and total flop video games based on a post-apocalyptic world, developer Visual Concepts feared the game was destined to be in that second category and ditched the idea.
8 Fireteam Rogue
Fireteam Rogue, before it was ever attempted as a video game, was actually in the business of generating hype through merchandise. They released extensive artwork, created a comic book, and set up advertising holograms in anticipation.
They made too many promises they couldn't keep, like saying that the game would have over 100 hours of gameplay and the characters would dwarf characters of other popular games. The team never released a single reason for the cancellation, with various employees giving differing explanations, which spoke to the turmoil happening at Accolade, the developer.
7 Jelly Boy 2
Gamers will be surprised to hear about a Jelly Boy 2 in the absence of a Jelly Boy 1. In the United States, the first game was renamed Smart Ball. Everywhere else, the game was called Jerry Boy. Making a new title to link two games with different titles was already not a good start.
The base game was alright, but certainly on the list of games that did not deserve a sequel. The cancellation ended up working out well for all parties involved; Game Freak would end up inventing a different franchise by the name of Pokémon.
6 Kid Kirby
Apparently, Kirby, the world's favorite hungry pink marshmallow, is bald. At least, that was the vision of DMA Design, the slated to be the first studio not based in Japan to gain the license to make a Kirby game. As a child, the fluffball sported at least one lock of hair.
The work was short-lived. They opted to make the game require the SNES Mouse, which did not sell well to begin with. After production couldn't figure out how to make the game function otherwise, this installment was added to the already extensive list of scrapped Kirby games.
5 Mr. Bloopy Saves The World
Captain America was a successful television show that impressed upon children the heroism of environmentalism. Using that as an inspiration, Rare Compedia thought they could take that model and bring it to the Super Nintendo.
The game designers did not get the memo that the target audience was children. They made the game incredibly difficult even though the artwork and plot were made for kids. Instead of a full-on remake, Mr. Bloopy Saves the World was thrown away. Or, recycled, for the environmentally conscious.
4 Robosaurus
Horizon Zero Dawn had a wild production process on their way to creating their iconic robotic dinosaurs. Had Robosaurus ever gotten off the launch pad, Adrenaline Entertainment might have beat them to the punch.
Modeled after the Transformers collection of toys, Robosaurus has been an Easter Egg in several films and shows. There was some worry about having children play as a mechanical villain that destroys tanks and helicopters as the player tries to destroy the city, so the project was nixed.
3 The Shadow
As a superhero, The Shadow didn't exactly hit the ground running. Famed actor Alec Baldwin doesn't exactly scream "superhero," but that's who was cast to play the caped investigator in the 1995 film with the same name; The Shadow.
Negative commercial results and mixed reviews ensured there would never be another movie and it also doomed the video game being developed for it. The gameplay was a clone of Double Dragon, which sounds fun, but did not at all match the action sequences of the movie. Marvel has had to ditch their fair share of games, so developer Ocean Software at least had a shoulder to cry on.
2 Socks The Cat Rocks The Hill
Socks the Cat Rocks the Hill was a zany game developed during the height of Bill Clinton's popularity. Nintendo had a policy against political games, but after Realtime Associates showed them the game, they found the comedy and commentary just over-the-top enough to green light.
Unfortunately, scandal hit the White House so interest in the game that featured Bill Clinton's cat waned. A Kickstarter was fully funded to release the game on the day of the 2016 election to celebrate Hillary Clinton's impending victory. That didn't work out, but, true to their promise, an emulated version of the game has indeed been produced.
1 Steven Seagal Is The Final Option
Steven Seagal was a bona fide action star in 1993, but the video game bearing his likeness was plagued with issues from the very beginning. The game changed leadership on more than one occasion and teenagers who liked to play video games weren't Seagal's biggest fans.
The real nail in the coffin was when the public found out that the game was licensed to use his name, but Seagal had absolutely nothing to do with the production. The animation was not Seagal at all, but martial artist Greg Goldsholl. Additionally, the movies were not featured at all. The idea was that Steven Seagal, the actor, was the last line of defense as he beats up aggressive... scientists.