Vaporware is a word that gamers never want to hear. It indicates a game or product that is publicly announced, but never officially released nor canceled. The kind of product that’s stuck in a limbo where it’s not “dead,” but it’s not clear if any actual work is being done on it.
When developers and publishers talk about these games, they may shoot a blank stare and hesitantly clarify that the game is still being made, but it almost feels like the window of opportunity is shut. Waiting any longer feels fruitless because why wait for something that probably doesn’t exist?
In 2022, there is no shortage of games that can be classified as vaporware. Here are five such titles that we’re convinced are not coming anytime soon.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
It’s weird to think that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake ever had a release date in the first place. Announced at the Ubisoft Forward 2020 event, this revival of the long-dormant franchise was set to release on Jan. 21, 2021. Gamers should’ve had this well over a year ago by this point.
Instead, criticism set in from the original trailer, and the game was initially delayed to March 18, 2021, before being taken off the release schedule entirely. Though Ubisoft reported that it would be released during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the publisher has since delayed it indefinitely.
Outside of the announcement that Ubisoft Montreal would take over the game’s development, we’ve heard nothing substantial about it since its initial announcement. If the game is still in development, it may be a long time before it arrives.
Star Wars Eclipse
Announced at The Game Awards 2020, Star Wars Eclipse has been wrapped in controversy ever since. The game is being developed by Quantic Dream, a developer that’s faced a lot of criticism for hostile workplace allegations that it’s grappled with since 2018.
This has led to a fan outcry, and it seems to be impacting the game’s development. It was initially reported that it wouldn’t be ready for at least three to four years, but the game may not release until 2027-2028. It appears Quantic Dream has been struggling to hire talent, which may be a result of the allegations.
It might be strange to call a game that was only just recently announced “vaporware,” but this has all the makings of a title that will languish for a long time without seeing a release. It’s not the only Star Wars game going through trouble, either: the Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic remake has recently changed developers and also appears to be indefinitely delayed.
Metroid Prime 4
It’s painful to call Metroid Prime 4 “vaporware,” but as the days pass, it’s looking more and more like that. The game was announced back at E3 2017 – the first year of the Nintendo Switch’s life – but we’ve seen nothing of it since.
The biggest news that we’ve gotten out of Metroid Prime 4 was that it switched developers in 2019, with Retro Studios back at the helm. Otherwise, Nintendo has been extremely quiet on it other than the occasional “we promise it’s still happening” statements in financial reports and Nintendo Directs.
Thankfully, Metroid has seen a revitalization thanks to last year’s Metroid Dread, which became the highest-selling entry in the franchise and even received some major game updates this year. The interest in Metroid is there; it’s just a matter of whether Nintendo wants to deliver on it.
Beyond Good & Evil 2
At this point, no vaporware list feels complete without Beyond Good & Evil 2’s inclusion. It’s a title that’s been shrouded in rumors and speculation for well over a decade, so much so that even a re-announcement didn’t quell concerns about its existence.
First teased by Ubisoft in 2008, Beyond Good & Evil 2 was not officially announced until 2016, and we saw nothing of it until a CGI trailer was shown at E3 2017. After one more look during E3 2018, Ubisoft has gone back into silence mode with this one.