Over the years, there have been many announcements for superhero games but ultimately canceled for various reasons. Some of these games became highly anticipated by fans, and their cancellations left many disappointed. While such instances aren’t new to the gaming industry, superhero gaming fans are seemingly the most affected. It is only now that superhero games are becoming just as prominent as any other popular gaming genre, and hearing promising projects receive delays back then is just truly disheartening. To hear yet another noteworthy proposed title included in the list of canceled superhero games hurts even now.
In this article, we intend to look back at the promising superhero games that got us all hyped only to let us all come crashing down right after. Here are five notable canceled superhero games.
Justice League (2009) Tie-in Brawler Game
In 2009, there was a Justice League movie set to be directed by George Miller. Take note that this is much earlier and different than the divisive Zack Snyder one. And if you know anything about the gaming landscape back in the 2000s, you’d know that a movie of this caliber would surely come with a tie-in game.
There was indeed an official announcement for a game to coincide with the movie. However, they ultimately canceled it. The proposed game supposedly going was a brawler-type of game, mixed in with RPG elements.
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
It’s a great shame that Daredevil: The Man Without Fear failed to see the light of day as it actually made it pretty far into production unlike most of the games in this list. In fact, Marvel Studios themselves promoted the game in some of their comic issues! There is also a bit of gameplay footage that found itself on the web, adding further excitement for it.
Unlike the first entry, the game wasn’t advertised to be a tie-in for the 2003 Daredevil movie. It was supposedly going to tell a story of its own. However, it was ultimately canceled due to licensing issues.
The Dark Knight Film Tie-in Game
To not make a game based on a film as big and beloved by fans as “The Dark Knight,” is a massive waste. Game developers back in 2008 agreed, and soon enough talks for a tie-in game surfaced. Pandemic Studios took on this big responsibility and to their credit, they got all of us hyped for it.
It was supposedly going to be an open-world game where players roam the city of Gotham as the titular Dark Knight. Better yet, it could have featured the likeness of the film’s main cast based on its early concept art. That said, everything fell apart after EA reportedly forced the seemingly inexperienced studio to build a new engine dedicated to the game.
Superman: Blue Steel
Superman: Blue Steel could have been the game to wipe everyone’s memory of the disastrous Superman 64 game. It was advertised as the game to bring glory back to the iconic superhero within the gaming space. Sadly, it just wasn’t meant to be. Everything felt promising at first, however. After all, it had Factor 5, the studio behind the critically-acclaimed Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, leading the development with Warner Bros and Brash Entertainment in its back.
It would have featured an open-world setting with realistically destructible environments. The project purportedly fell apart after Warner Bros’ decision to reboot the Superman movies.
Marvel Chaos
Marvel property characters are now considered mainstays in the fighting game genre largely thanks to the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise. However, there is no denying that there is a lack of dedicated Marvel fighting games, unlike its DC counterpart. If only Marvel Chaos came to fruition, everything could have turned out differently. As a matter of fact, it couldn’t have come at a better time considering the stranglehold of Marvel over the whole entertainment space.
Nevertheless, the project failed to get far into its development cycle. The potential of a Marvel exclusive fighting game is so freaking big, it could have been just as popular as today’s top fighting game franchises. Perhaps in an alternate universe, Marvel Chaos is thriving and is prominently featured in EVO.
Will There Be More Cancelled Superhero Games?
While the cancellation of these games was disappointing for fans, it’s worth noting that not all canceled games would have been successful or enjoyable. The development of a game is a complex process, and many factors can lead to a game being canceled, such as funding, licensing issues, and changes in the market or technology.
However, there are still many superhero games that have been successfully released and continue to be popular with fans. Games such as Batman: Arkham series, Spider-Man, and Injustice have all been critically acclaimed and loved by fans.
With the continued popularity of superheroes in popular culture, we will likely continue to see new and exciting superhero games in the future. Sadly, this means that there could be more canceled superhero games as well. After all, “with every action comes an equal and opposite reaction,” right?
