Announced, Delayed, Disappeared: The Games Still In Limbo

Announced, Delayed, Disappeared: The Games Still In Limbo https://ift.tt/js6RUQv

The days of relatively short development cycles for big-budget AAA games feels like a distant memory, as it's not uncommon for titles to spend many years in development. These days, a five-year production cycle isn't uncommon at all, and some games take the better part of a decade to be released. Such lengthy waits aren't intrinsically bad, as games like Crimson Desert and Doom 2016 were worth the wait.

But right now? Numerous studios have been toiling away on their respective projects, keeping out of the spotlight and offering little to no updates along the way. Some of them have undergone drastic overhauls behind the scenes, and others were announced way too early with slick teaser trailers that were designed to excite fans andrecruit people to the project. There's a good chance that you might have forgotten about many of the games below, but if you're looking to refresh your memory, you can check out our list below of the biggest games still trapped in development hell.

Beyond Good & Evil 2

• First announced: 2008

We're fast approaching the 20-year mark since Beyond Good & Evil 2 was first announced, and in the years since,, it has become the game industry's Sasquatch--a creature of legend that we're certain exists, but we have no real evidence to prove it. The game was re-announced, this time as an open-world prequel, in 2017, but we've only gotten occasional updates since then, and basically nothing of substance over the last several years.

So what's the current state of this long-in-development project? Following the structural overhaul at Ubisoft, several games were outright canceled, but Beyond Good & Evil 2 has managed to survive that cull. Ubisoft creative director Fawzi Mesmar confirmed work is still proceeding on it, and as of late last year, Ubisoft was actually hiring for it.

The Wolf Among Us 2

• First announced: 2017

In the years since The Wolf Among Us 2 was announced, the market for narrative-adventure games has changed substantially. Telltale Incorporated as we knew it folded in 2018 and was then relaunched as Telltale Games after LCG Entertainment acquired several key Telltale assets. The Wolf Among Us 2 was re-announced at the 2019 edition of The Game Awards, and since then, there have been sporadic updates on it. In late 2024, Telltale addressed rumors that the game was at risk of being shelved due to financial difficulties and internal pressure, following significant layoffs in September 2023 that affected most of the team working on it.

State of Decay 3

• First announced: 2020

One of several Xbox projects that has been bubbling away for what feels like an eternity, State of Decay 3 is still in development. One of the more recent updates for the zombie-survival game came in January 2026, when Head of Xbox Game Studios Craig Duncan commented on its current state. "I have done several visits to that studio in the last six to eight months," Duncan said. "I have sat and played the game with the team a bunch of times. It's coming on really well. We're very excited about the franchise and its potential. So I will certainly see a lot more of it in the coming year."

With a busy 2026 ahead of it that includes games like Forza Horizon 6, Fable, Kiln, and Halo; Campaign Evolved, State of Decay 3 is likely being kept in reserve for 2027, but the good news is that we might be getting a new look at it soon. Undead Labs recently revealed that it'll be holding playtests for State of Decay 3 throughout the year.

BioShock 4

• First announced: 2019

The next BioShock game has been in development for a longtime, but it doesn't look like it's in danger of being canceled yet. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick addressed the lengthy development cycle in November 2025, promising that it would eventually come out. Those comments came in the wake of BioShock 4 reportedly undergoing an overhaul and layoffs at developer Cloud Chamber that led to the departure of studio head Kelley Gilmore, with former Diablo boss Rod Fergusson taking over.

Star Wars: Eclipse

• First announced: 2021

Star Wars: Eclipse was announced a long, long time ago, and since then, it has been nothing but radio silence from developer Quantic Dream. In 2025, Quantic Dream said the game was still on track, but recent reports suggest that its future might be uncertain. The future of the game might hinge on the studio's upcoming free-to-play multiplayer title Spellcasters Chronicles, and progress has reportedly been slow on Eclipse. "Should Spellcasters fail commercially, NetEase is expected to reevaluate its commitment to the studio and could opt to discontinue further investment," a source said to Insider Gaming recently.

It's also worth noting that story elements for the game may have been intentionally leaked back in 2022, reportedly as a way to gauge interest in the title.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake

• First announced: 2021

The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake has had a rocky development path ever since it was first announced. Back in 2025, it was claimed that developer Aspyr had been removed from the project and that Mad Head Games--the studio currently working on Hellraiser: Revival--was put in charge. That same report also claimed that a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 had been put in carbonite, but Saber's chief creative officer Tim Willits recently offered a brief update on it. "Yes, it is still in development. That's all I can say," Willits said.

Beyond that, there hasn't been a peep or even a leak of the game, as it remains more well-hidden than a Sith lord during the High Republic era.

Marvel's Iron Man

• First announced: 2022

EA once had several Marvel games in development, but last year saw one of them canceled. The Black Panther project came to a screeching halt following the closure of its developer, Cliffhanger Games, but what of EA Motive's Iron Man game? Following EA's announcement that it was selling itself for $55 billion to various investors and going private, many people were wondering if Iron Man and the mystery Marvel project were in jeopardy, but so far, there hasn't been a peep from EA on their status.

The most recent update for the game came in April 2025, as a job listing revealed a few more details on the project. The listing called for a level-design expert with experience in single-player action-RPG games, and the project has reportedly made further development strides since then. Other than a teaser image for the game, not a single screenshot or teaser trailer for Iron Man has been released yet.

Marvel's Blade

• First announced: 2023

One of several Marvel games that were announced in the early 2020s, Marvel's Blade was revealed with a flashy trailer in 2023. Since then, developer Arkane has kept quiet on the project, releasing the occasional screenshot that highlights how Blade will have to take on an army of Vampires that have invaded Paris. In December 2025, Arkane Lyon's co-creative director said that the game is still in development and that the studio has high standards that it wants to reach for this release. Considering that Xbox's new leadership has pushed forward with a gamer-centric direction, there's still hope that Blade might finally see the light of day.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra

• First announced: 2021

With a photorealistic presentation, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra looks like it'll push current console and PC gaming hardware to the bleeding edge of what's possible. Set during World War II in Nazi-occupied Paris, the game has been hit with several delays since it was first announced, and its current release window suggests that it won't be out for quite some time.

"Our goal is to deliver unforgettable, premium games that honor the characters and worlds we're fortunate to work with. Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is an ambitious project, and we are committed to ensuring it meets the level of quality that our team, players, and fans expect," Skydance Media said in 2025. "To fully realize our vision for Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, we've made the decision to shift our release window beyond early 2026."

Ark 2

• First announced: 2020

We don't know when Ark 2 will be out exactly, but we do know that it's making the wise choice to avoid being caught in the GTA 6 blast zone. Developer Studio Wildcard originally announced the sequel all the way back in 2020, and the new release date window for the game is a nebulous 2028. Ark 2 was originally scheduled to launch in 2023, but several delays saw Wildcard adopt a low profile as it continued to work on the project. The game blends the survival-crafting and dinosaur-taming action of the original with souls-like combat, and Vin Diesel is involved in the project as its president of creative convergence.

Splinter Cell remake

• First announced: 2021

Five years have passed since the Splinter Cell remake was first announced, and since then, there have been some big organizational changes at Ubisoft. In January 2026, the company officially revealed how it had restructured into several different Creative Houses focused on certain franchises, with the Splinter Cell remake falling under Creative House 2 and developer Ubisoft Toronto, a division focused on competitive and cooperative shooter experiences that also led development on Splinter Cell Blacklist back in 2013. Worryingly, around 40 developers were laid off from the studio recently, but Ubisoft says that Splinter Cell hasn't been canceled.

"The Toronto studio continues development on the Splinter Cell game and serves as a co-development partner on Rainbow Six, along with supporting additional co-development projects," Ubisoft said.

Little Devil Inside

• First announced: 2015

An action-adventure game that was successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter over a decade ago, Little Devil Inside has been MIA for several years now. During the October 2021 PlayStation State of Play, a release date of 2022 was teased, but that launch window came and went. Recently, developer Neostream offered an apology to backers, explaining in a 2024 update that the team had undergone numerous changes over the years and that the studio is still aiming to finish Little Devil Inside. There's no release date yet, but the studio did say at the time that it had "started discussions" regarding publishing.

Gang of Dragon

First announced: 2022

Things are looking dire for Nagoshi Studio and its debut game, Gang of Dragon. Yakuza and Like A Dragon veteran Toshihiro Nagoshi's studio has been working on the game for several years now, but a recent report suggested that the future of both the game and the studio is at risk following NetEase's decision to pull its funding. According to Bloomberg, the game still needs around $44 million in funding to be completed, and a deal with NetEase to cover the cost of the game assets already created has yet to be finalized.

The report also added that "NetEase is only open to negotiations if the studio can pay its way out," and that it will be forced to pay "the corresponding costs if it wants to keep the assets or brand."

Project Awakening

• First announced: 2016

Whatever happened to Project Awakening? Originally announced in 2016 as a "high-end console game" in 2016 by Japanese studio Cygames, details on the project have slowly trickled out over the last decade. Following a short gameplay teaser seen behind closed doors at E3 2018, the game has been described as an open-world action-RPG set in a world of high fantasy and focused on combat, with some multiplayer elements thrown in for good measure.

Beyond that, a brief glimpse of Project Awakening was shown at a Cygames Tech Conference session in 2021, and it's still listed as an in-development project according to financial documents from Cygames' parent company, CyberAgent.

Plan 8

First announced: 2019

Yet another long-in-development game, Plan 8 was first revealed as an ambitious MMO shooter from Pearl Abyss. Development has continued over the years, but Plan 8's sci-fi world of exosuits and mechanized threats has taken a backseat to other games, like that humble open-world action-RPG you might have heard about lately, called Crimson Desert.

Dokev

• First announced: 2019

Speaking of Pearl Abyss games, Dokev was also one of the games announced during the G-Star 2019 conference in Busan, South Korea. Dokev was pitched as a collective MMORPG with colorful vibes, and with the release of Crimson Desert, Pearl Abyss has more developers available to work on the project. The studio estimates that "it will take about two to three years" for Dokev to finally see the light of day.

FairGame$

• First announced: 2023

Sony's grand plan to release several live-service games has hit multiple road bumps over the years. The company says it's still committed to live-service games despite recent stumbles, but Fairgame$ was conspicuously absent from its Corporate Report for 2025. In production at Sony's Haven Studios, the developer has lost key personnel like studio boss Jade Raymond and game director Daniel Drapeau over the years. As of September 2025, FairGame$ was said to be coming out in Spring 2026.

Mass Effect 5

• First announced: 2020

Five years after a new Mass Effect game was first announced, BioWare is still staying mum on the project. The most recent update came during 2025's N7 day--November 7--with executive producer Michael Gamble commenting that the next entry in the Mass Effect series remains in development. Gamble didn't directly address recent rumors about BioWare potentially being shut down or sold off as part of EA's $55 billion sale to an investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia.

"We have a lot of universe to cover, lots of features to build, and lots of romances to figure out. We're excited by what we're building, and we promise you: When we're ready, it'll be a lot of fun to show," Gamble said.

Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe

• First revealed: 2022

Four years on, Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe remains a mystery. Nothing about the game's setting or characters has been officially revealed, and the project recently lost its creative director, Ubisoft veteran Clint Hocking. Described as "a very different" type of Assassin's Creed, the game is reportedly focused on witchcraft and will allow players to possess a cat. In a 2026 update, Ubisoft said it was still committed to the project, and it teased fans with a "unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin's Creed experience," set during a pivotal moment in history.

The Elder Scrolls 6

• First announced: 2018

The Elder Scrolls 6 has become something of a meme at this point, as Bethesda isn't in a rush to pump out a new chapter in its fantasy action-RPG series. Bethesda's Todd Howard recently said that the company is focused on its current games and updates for them, and he jokingly said that fans should forget about that 2018 reveal entirely. Previously, Howard questioned if Bethesda should have announced The Elder Scrolls 6 so early, but he did tease that it could return to the classic roots of older Bethesda games.