Decades ago the world of anime was seen as a niche interest relegated to the children of Japanese immigrants or the kids who had internet access and were way cooler than their friends. Either way, the entertainment medium has exploded in the West, with dozens of series becoming huge successes.
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FromAttack on TitantoJujutsu Kaisen, anime is a large part of pop culture. The world of video games still hasn’t seen a wave of high-quality games based on anime series, but sadly it has had more than a handful of potentially awesome anime games canceled for various reasons.
8Attack On Titan: Team Battle
Attack On Titanreigns supreme as one of the most popular anime in the world, and due to it coming to a close in the coming years, its popularity continues to rise. The idea of swinging around in omnidirectional mobility gear and slaying giant titans feels right for the world of video games. Sadly the series hasn’t had a game release that wasn’t anything more than mediocre when it came to critical reception.
Attack on Titan: Team Battlecould have changed that if it had ever been released. It was an arcade game that focused on capturing the feeling of swinging around in the anime world people were drawn to, but in 2018 it was revealed via an update from Capcom that the game was scrapped. The publisher listed their failure to provide “unparalleled immersion” as the main reason they decided to not move forward withAttack on Titan: Team Battle.
7Naruto: Clash Of Ninja DS
It’s hard to be upset about the cancellation of aNaruto-licensed video gameconsidering it’s probably the anime/mange property with the most games under its belt.Naruto: Clash of Ninjadid release on the Nintendo Gamecube, but the port that was planned for the Nintendo DS is what was canceled. There were a variety of reasons given as to why the port never saw the light of day.
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It was stated that porting GameCube games to the DS was especially difficult. In addition, the follow-up sequel was much more popular, making a port of its less successful predecessor a risky financial move. Lastly, since the DS had fewer buttons, those in charge felt that the game might control cumbersomely as the inputs would be difficult to translate over. It seems like this port project never stood a chance.
6Absolute Terror
Neon Genesis Evangelionis as beloved as they come when it comes to the world of classic anime. People forget that the series was actually set to get its own MMO role-playing game that was titled,Absolute Terror. Now, the game wasn’t technically canon and was mostly described as loosely taking place in the world of the beloved anime, but people were excited to see what it could possibly be.
Players had the choice of either helping humanity stave off elimination or helping in its demise. It was ultimately canceled in 2007, despite being set to release on all major PC operating systems.
5Dragon Ball Online
WithDragon Ballbeing one of the most popular anime series ever, it’s no surprise that it’s seen its fair share of canceled games. The first of two to make this list happens to beDragon Ball Online.If one reading this assumed it was a massively multiplayer online game or MMO for short, then they would have been absolutely correct.
Crazy enough, people were actually able to play this game despite it being canceled. It wouldn’t meet its demise until October of 2013, despite the game launching in a beta test format three years prior in 2010. A fan-run spiritual successor to this canceled game was started in 2015 and is titledDragonBall Online Global.
4Killing Bits
The PlayStation Vitawas a promising Sony handheld gaming device that was simply set up to fail from the beginning. That being said, it is still rather beloved to this day and is home to some amazing games.Killing Bitesis a game that was set to release for both the PS Vita and PS4, which was based on the anime of the same name.
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It was pitched as a fighting game that featured multiplayer, but no gameplay was actually ever shown. Though it wasn’t officially canceled, its developers were dissolved in 2016, meaning the writing was on the wall. It wouldn’t be until 2017 when it was announced the game’s development was officially stalled, but fans were thanked for supporting the game up until that point.
3Hajime no Ippo
When most Westerners think of anime they often envisionDragon BallorNaruto, series that are action-packed and filled with humans showcasing incredible power. The reality is that the medium comes in many genres, and sports anime are among the most popular.Hajime no Ippois a boxing manga and anime series from the early 2000s that was rather beloved.
Recently a Japanese developer uploaded a video to Twitter showcasing a build of a 2D fighting game based onHajime no Ippo, which was canceled in 2008. The clip can be seenhere, and it’s rather impressive how good the game looked in motion.
2Legacy Of Goku Remake
Can a game get canceled if it really never existed? Regardless of where one falls in terms of answering that question, a proposedLegacy Of Goku Remakealmost happened back in 2016. A former employee of developer Webfoot Technologies wanted to pitch a Nintendo 3DS remake of the beloved Game Boy Advance action role-playing game.
His idea was to show Bandai Namco his proof of concept in hopes of getting the project greenlit. The modern era of video games is full of remakes and remasters, so the idea of Bandai Namco doing it is more possible than it ever has been, but it likely won’t be developed by the guy from 2016 who simply had a dream to do it himself.
1Akira
Now, in the world of gaming, the publisher known as THQ has a messy history with gamers. Sure they’re responsible for cult classics and beloved older games, but their lack of earnings led to their eventual downfall. The publisher had plans in 1994 of releasing a game based on theAkirafilm and manga series.
It was supposed to release on the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Game Boy, and Game Gear. Those interested can find videos and screenshots of the game that never was. Impossible demands by THQ and the departure of the game’s lead programmer are cited as the main reasons theAkiravideo game never saw the light of day.
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