These days, it takes a lot of time and money to make a AAA game, as they can cost studios hundreds of millions of dollars. For this reason, when a publisher announces a forthcoming AAA game, it can come long before the projected release date. This builds apprehension, but when things don’t go according to plan, and a AAA game is cancelled, it leaves fans wanting. It happens relatively often for a variety of reasons, including funding issues, talent turnover, studio acquisitions, and more. These are five AAA games that were highly anticipated by the public, but we never got to play, arranged in no particular order.
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1) Star Wars 1313
Star Wars 1313 was one of the most anticipated games in the franchise, having been unveiled at E3 2012 as a mature take on the underbelly of Coruscant’s level 1313. Its playable character was to be Boba Fett, and the gameplay was expected to be similar to that of the Uncharted franchise, focusing on fast-paced action. George Lucas was directly involved, and a ton of work went into the game, moving it towards an inevitable release. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm, one of the many projects that was cancelled was Star Wars 1313. It’s technically still on hold, but given the time that’s lapsed, it doesn’t seem likely that it will ever be completed and published.
2) Agent
Rockstar Games is one of the biggest developers on the planet, so whenever a new IP is announced, it’s a big deal. Rockstar North began developing Agent in the 2000s, officially announcing it in June 2009. The game was set during the Cold War, and would have seen players engage in counter-intelligence, political assassinations, and espionage. It would have been exclusive to the PlayStation 3, and fans were eager to check it out, but they never got the chance. Some elements were leaked, but an internal push at the company to develop Grand Theft Auto 5 sidelined Agent, leading Rockstar to reassign its team before ultimately abandoning development altogether.
3) Perfect Dark
The Perfect Dark franchise is one that fans have longed to see rebooted, and they nearly got their wish. Crystal Dynamics and The Initiative began developing a reboot for PC and Xbox Series X|S, which was announced at the 2020 Game Awards. Fans were eager to get their hands on it, and a gameplay trailer debuted at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2024. Unfortunately, the following year, the game was cancelled, and The Initiative closed its doors following a series of layoffs. While this was a blow to longtime fans, cancelling the Perfect Dark reboot doesn’t mean that the franchise is entirely dead, but it could be a long time before another game is produced.
4) Whore of the Orient
While it had an objectively unmarketable game, Whore of the Orient had the makings of an incredible AAA game. Shortly after the release of L.A. Noire in 2011, the people responsible began developing its next title, which would become Whore of the Orient. The game was set in Shanghai in 1936, during a particularly chaotic time. It would have utilized the same facial MotionScan technology employed in L.A. Noire, but would have been significantly improved via the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One architecture. The game was announced in 2012, with a 2015 release target, but was cancelled in 2016 due to funding issues and a lack of publisher interest.
5) Star Wars: Project Ragtag
Project Ragtag is a codename for an untitled Star Wars game, so it could have changed before Visceral Games completed development. The project began in 2013 with Electronic Arts as its publisher, and it featured some interesting talent behind the scenes. This included Amy Hennig, the lead designer of Project Ragtag, who just so happened to be the creator of the Uncharted franchise. The game would have been set after the events of A New Hope and underwent several developmental changes, including transitioning to an open-world environment. Unfortunately, the game was killed off by EA, proving once more that Star Wars games are announced too soon.
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