Nintendo is a company of many successful franchises and countless classic games. Such success does not come easy. It may seem like the company has had many more hits than misses over the year, but that’s because they will not hesitate to cancel a game that they feel is not up to their standards. For every Super Mario Bros., there’s half a dozen projects that either went unfinished, or was completely abandoned before it ever made it out of the gate because it did not meet Nintendo’s expectations.
Despite all the quality control, Nintendo does make mistakes. While they usually have good reasons for cancelling projects, some of those once upcoming games get canned for the weirdest reasons. Either through dubious corporate decisions, strange circumstances, or pure bad luck, titles that looked like sure-fire hits were thrown into the recycling bin.
These are the games we will be looking at today. The ones that had “money” written all over and never made it to the shelves. The ones that were good ideas in theory but had bad timing. No matter why the final decision was made, these what-ifs will make you shake your head thinking about what could have been.
As a small bonus, we have even included some games that were not developed by Nintendo, but were headed for a Nintendo console before they were canceled. Some of these were indeed released onto other systems, and might have changed the course of history had they finally made it to the Big N’s playground.
25 The Third Part Of The Triforce
The “Oracle” series, for Game Boy Color, was originally going to be a trilogy to work with the theme of the Triforce. When Capcom realized how insane it was to develop three very elaborate adventure games at the same time, and how difficult it was to make them interact with each other, Mystical Seed of Courage was canceled. Mystical Seed of Power and Mystical Seed of Wisdom were reworked into Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, so they would make more sense as a duo. Some ideas from Mystical Seeds of Courage were subsequently added to Oracle of Ages.
24 Mario's Weird Sport Experiment
Next Level Games has a great track record when it comes to Mario sports game. Coming off the success of Super Mario Strikers, the studio started work on Super Mario Spikers, an ambitious game which mixed volleyball and professional wrestling. Players would try to hurt their opponents in the middle of games to gain an advantage, and those who have seen the demo in action talked of a project which was fun, and surprisingly deep. The game was canceled by Nintendo in 2007. According to a developer, it was canned because the product clashed with Nintendo’s “code of honor”.
23 Putting Foxes Where They Don't Belong
After the success of Jet Force Gemini, Nintendo wanted Rare to create another adventure which would bolster the aging Nintendo 64’s line-up. Rare came up with Dinosaur Planet, a game starring anthropomorphic animals making their way through the titular planet full of dinosaurs. Nintendo was so impressed that the Nintendo 64 release was quietly axed despite months of hype through the Nintendo Power magazine. Instead, they reworked it as a Gamecube launch title with Fox McCloud in the lead role. The Star Fox association hurt the game’s momentum, since fans were now expecting a space shooter which was nowhere to be found.
22 The Origins of The Mysterious Mother 3
Earthbound was not the commercial success Nintendo was hoping for, but it developed a cult following which endures to this day. The first screenshots for Earthbound 64 made it to Nintendo Power early in the N64’s lifespan, and the magazine promoted the game for years. Despite the hype and an impressive demo at the 1999 Spaceworld Expo, the game was cancelled in 2000 when Nintendo realized they would need another two years to finish the game, despite the Gamecube coming the next year. Parts of the story were instead reused for Mother 3, a Japan-exclusive sequel for Game Boy Advance.
21 A Doomed Add-On Cancelled Luigi's Big Day Out
The fabled Super Mario 64-2 had been confirmed as a title for the upcoming 64DD add-on, which was supposed to add rewritable disks to the N64’s library. In interviews, Shigeru Miyamoto promised that Luigi would finally be a playable character, and that the company was even trying to come up with a way to make the two characters play simultaneously. The hype was real, but the 64DD’s success was not. Only released in Japan, it never made enough money to justify the continued development of the Super Mario 64 sequel.
20 Bigger, Badder, Cancelled
Diddy Kong Racing was such a hit that it only made sense that Rare would try to replicate its success with a sequel. Titled Donkey Kong Racing, it was going to keep a similar concept, but switch the main character.
Animals were also going to be added as vehicles.
In the meantime, Rare went on sale, and offered 51% of the company to Nintendo, who declined the offer. Instead, Microsoft swooped in and bought the developer, and the game had to be reworked with different characters. The retitled Sabreman Stampede failed to make an impression and was eventually unceremoniously canceled.
19 GTA Could Have Changed The Game
While Nintendo was never known for its violent games, Grand Theft Auto was nevertheless supposed to come to Nintendo 64. The original, top-down GTA was announced for the system and lingered around Nintendo Power’s “Pak Watch” section for years. This one is even more frustrating because the N64 was craving for games, and GTA64 was axed without any reason being given. The only proof of its existence is a series of screenshots that showed improved 3D buildings on an otherwise 2D map, and an internal Rockstar Games document showing the project was heading for the “Ultra 64” as of 1995.
18 We Still Want More Geno
After their successful collaboration with Squaresoft, Super Mario RPG 2 was announced for the Nintendo 64 and was advertised in Nintendo Power, as were most upcoming Nintendo games at the time. Unfortunately, SquareSoft eventually decided to forego Nintendo for the 64-bit generation and sided with Sony for a little while. The game thus dropped the SquareSoft characters and was reworked with a paper aesthetic. References to Super Mario RPG 2 ceased, and instead, Paper Mario appeared on everyone’s upcoming games list. The game worked surprisingly well, but fans are still waiting for Geno’s return over 20 years later.
17 Bringing The Hammer Down
When the Wii was announced, Project H.A.M.M.E.R. was one of the first games to have a demo released along with it. That’s as far as the game would go, mostly because of internal conflicts within Nintendo.
The second-party studio developing it was from the West, and their gritty title clashed with Nintendo’s sensibilities.
It was almost reworked as the much cuter “Wii Crush”, but even then, the hammer swinging with the Wiimote was found to be less than perfect. Nintendo finally cancelled the title in 2009, among accusations from the developers of racism from Nintendo’s part.
16 Metroid's Most Wanted
A legendary canceled title in the community of Metroid fans, Metroid Dread was going to be a 2D side-scrolling sequel to Metroid Fusion. It appeared on an internal list of future Nintendo releases leaked prior to E3 2005, and it’s the only game on that fabled list to never see the light of day.
An editor for IGN even claimed he saw a completed script for the game.
The title was to be developed by the same studio attached to Project H.A.M.M.E.R., but the failure of that game lead to the cancellation of their involvement in Metroid Dread.
15 Better Late Than Never?
Though Star Fox 2 did eventually get released, it was only made available on the SNES Classic Edition, and about 20 years too late. Originally slated for release late in the SNES’ lifespan, the title was almost completed and ready to go. However, Nintendo thought that a 3D game released so close to the N64’s introduction would confuse gamers and overshadow the new console. The project was shelved, and the ROM was somehow leaked to the internet. The game achieved mythical status before it was finally completed and officially released last year.
14 Rayman's Real Origins
The original Rayman was at first going to be a Super NES exclusive, with pretty standard cartoonish 16-bit graphics for the time. It would have felt right at home with the other platformers available on the console, but creator Michel Ancel wanted more. With the PlayStation and the Atari Jaguar (ha ha!) looming on the horizon, Ubisoft decided to hire actual cartoon movies animators and switch development to CD consoles. Screenshots of the SNES original exist, taken from a French magazine which shows that the game was pretty far into its development, as well as a ROM featuring the first level of the game.
13 That Title Needs A Bit More Work
The only proof of the existence of Banjo-Threeie is footage from the 2000 Spaceworld Expo, a Japanese game show which exclusively showcased Nintendo products. Even then, only a few seconds of the game were included in a highlight reel of upcoming games for the soon to be released Nintendo Gamecube. Unfortunately, Rare’s purchase by Microsoft switched the title’s development to the original Xbox, but that did not save it from cancellation. The franchise would then lay dormant until Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, which had nearly nothing to do with the canceled project which fans were clamoring for.
12 Nintendo Goes All In And Loses
This one wasn’t exactly “canceled” but is a great “what if”. In 1998, the rights to the Harry Potter book series went on sale, with the winning company being able to produce not only video games, but also movies and TV series. Nintendo wanted all hands on deck for that big play:
They canceled development on three unrelated games so that the teams could create demos.
One was a 3rd person adventure, while the other was a Quidditch game. JK Rowling met with Nintendo, but eventually went with Warner Brothers, who made a movie and subcontracted the video games part to EA.
11 Less Than Perfect
Velvet Dark was going to be a sequel to the critically acclaimed Perfect Dark, which would have featured Joanna’s sister. The game was supposed to be a 3rd person adventure, because Nintendo had seen the popularity of games like Tomb Raider and obviously wanted a share of that pie. The project was underway but was canceled when it became obvious that it wouldn’t be completed before the demise of the N64. As the Gamecube drew nearer, resources were switched to Perfect Dark Zero, which was then bought by Microsoft along with Rare.
10 Cancellation Leads To Bad Feelings
Argonaut Software, the team behind the original Star Fox and Star Fox 2, once pitched a 3D character-based racer with Yoshi as the star. Tentatively titled Yoshi Racing, the game had a functional demo which was shown to Nintendo. When the game wasn’t picked up, it broke Argonauts Software’ relationship with the company for good. Nintendo’s unwillingness to let 3rd parties handle its characters at that time soured the relationship. The company even claims that their demo influenced Super Mario 64, and that Miyamoto even apologized for not picking up the racing game.
9 Samus Still Can't Get A Break
Metroid 64 was on Nintendo Power’s Pak Watch for years, and yet, no screenshots were ever released. Years later, it came to light that the game was never anything more than an idea, something that gamers and magazines alike clung to because of how cool it sounded. In an interview, the series’ creator claims that he never even started on the game because he felt like it was too early to bring the game to the third dimension. Another studio also declined the project, for fear of being unable to create a product which would measure up to Super Metroid.
8 The Virtual Boy Makes Another Victim
When it was still thought that the Virtual Boy was going to be the future of gaming, Nintendo had plans for nearly all of its popular franchises to make an appearance on the portable system. Among them was Mario Kart, with the game only appearing on lists of upcoming releases as VB Mario Kart. Unfortunately, the poor system didn’t last long enough, and the majority of Nintendo’s intellectual properties never graced it. A Mario Land spin-off was also in the work at one point, but suffered the same fate.
7 F-Zero Couldn't Cross The Finish Line
Unlike Mario Kart, the F-Zero series was much further along in its development when the Virtual Boy was discontinued. Titled Zero Racers, the game had several screenshots released through magazines, with a demo even being shown at E3 in 1996. Nintendo Power played the prototype, and revealed that the project was to have four racers, three circuits, and fifteen tracks. The unappealing screenshots showed a game which was nothing more than a series of textureless cars going through wireframe tunnels, and somehow, it was still the most exciting game announced for the console.
6 Final Fantasy On Nintendo 64?
Before SquareSoft switched all development to PlayStation, they were a mostly Nintendo-exclusive company, with Final Fantasy VII being scheduled for a Nintendo 64 release. The problem was, their prototype for FFVII was so polygon-intense that it caused the N64’s frame rate to slow down to a crawl. They also did tests with the upcoming 64DD peripheral;
The game would have required 30 disks of space despite the day’s compression technology.
Faced with no other choices, they went with the PlayStation, which had less polygons, but only required 3 CDs to store everything.