It may feel like we’ve been waiting forGrand Theft Auto 6forever, especially with the gamedelayed to 2026. ButGTA6isn’t even close to being the longest game development period.
That dubious honor, according to the Guinness World RecordsXaccount, belongs toDuke Nukem Forever,which was announced in 1997 and didn’t get released until 2011—after spending14 years and 43 days in development.
Plenty of other games arestuck in development Hell, with no release date in sight. Fans have been waiting for these Vaporware titles for over 10 years and counting… and it might be time to admit that they’re simply never going to see the light of day.
10Earthworm Jim 4 Might Have Never Left The Planning Phase
Announced In 2008, Last Update In 2011
Earthworm Jimis a platforming franchise starring, well, an earthworm. The franchise comprised of three titles, with the first dating back to 1994.
Developer Interplay announced that a fourth game was in the works in 2008, and was confirmed to still be in development in 2011. It turns out that the title, which had allegedly been in development for 17 years,never even left pre-planning stages.
In 2020, the title wasunfortunately linked with the Intellivision Amico, a video game system that that never got off the ground. A 2023 report fromTime Extensionsuggests that both the Amico and the plannedEarthworm Jim 4title may never see the light of day.
9Firefly MMO Was Supposed To Continue The Cancelled Show’s Legacy
Announced In 2006, Last Update In 2016
TheFireflysci-fi TV show was canceled in 2002, after airing only 11 of its planned 14 episodes. Over its brief runtime, the show amassed a huge fan following, who were disappointed by their beloved show getting cut short.
Fans were gearing up for yet another disappointment whenFirefly Onlinewas announced in 2006, an MMO which would take place in the show’s universe. The multiplayer game was never officially canceled, with the last message from the dev team onFacebookreading:
“We’re still here. We’re still flyin'. Game is still in development. Stay tuned.”
That message, which dates back to March 2016, was the last anyone heard of the game. Still, theFireflycommunity has been burned before by a dream shattered too soon, and someremain hopeful that the MMO will one day be resurrected.
8The Bully Sequel Might Just Be A Rumor
Rumored To Be In The Works Since 2011
TheGrand Theft Autoseries might be Rockstar Games' biggest hit, but for many, the 2006 titleBullyis a masterpiece in its own right. Theboarding-school-based RPGfollows a student at the Bullworth Academy on his journey through the school’s cliques in an attempt to stop bullying.
In a 2011 interview withEurogamer, Rockstar stated itsintention to return to the series onceMax Payne 3was released. However, considering that day came and went in 2012, it’s unknown at this point ifBully 2is being worked on.
Thetrademark forBullywas renewed by Rockstar in 2020, according toTrademarkia, leaving a glimmer of hope for a sequel orat least a remaster.
7American McGee’s Oz Is Almost Definitely Not Happening
Announced In 2002, Abandoned Kickstarter In 2017
American McGee is best known for putting his dark spin on classic fairy tales. HisAlice in Wonderlandgames turn the story into acautionary tale of madness and trauma.In 2002, McGee set his sights on doing the same forThe Wizard of Oz.
American Mcgee’s Oz,later rebranded asOZombie, was announced in 2002 and launched aKickstartercampaign in 2017. The campaign was canceled after just a few days to focus on a third title in theWonderlandseries,Alice: Otherlands.
In the end, neither game ended up being made andMcGee has since announced his retirement from gaming, leaving bothOzandAlicein the dust. At least, unlike many other Vaporware games, both titles can definitely be considered abandoned.
6Viewtiful Joe 3 Needs To Complete The Trilogy
No Updates Since The Second Game Was Released In 2004
Viewtiful Joeis a delightful 2003 Capcom game about film-making, where players assume the role of the titular superhero and fight their way through various stage sets.
The GameCube game did well enough to launch a sequel, two spinoff titles, and anime and manga adaptations. What fans really want, though, is thethird game in the trilogy, which had been promised to fans since 2004.
According toGameRant, Hideki Kamiya, the original director of bothOkamiandViewtiful Joe,expressed a desire to return with sequels to both. Now thatOkami 2is officially happening, maybe there’shope for the outlandish superhero, too.
Announced In 2015, Then Cancelled, Then Resumed
In 2014, a playable demo forSilent Hillswas uploaded to the PlayStation store. DubbedPTfor “Playable Teaser,” the demo sent ripples through the gaming world for itsatmospheric portrayal of horror.Sadly,Silent Hillswas canceled, and many developers were left to fill the gaping hole left bywhat the game’s demo promised.
Allison Roadwas one of the titles that promised todeliver on the horrors ofPT.The game was announced in 2015 by Lilith Ltd., with Team17 gearing up to be its publisher. A year later, the game was canceled, only to be resurrected again just two months later (according toPolygon).
It’s been a decade sinceAllison Roadwas announced,and it seems like the game might suffer the same fate as its inspiration.
4Deep Down Was Never Released Despite Being Near Completion
Announced In 2013, Trademark Renewed In 2018
Capcom’sDeep Downwasannounced as a PS4 post-launch title in 2013, and its unique setting had plenty of interests piqued. The multiplayer title was supposed to pluck players out of a futuristic NYC and send them back in time.
Deep Downwasallegedly nearing completionand was gearing up for release as a free-to-play title in 2013, according toSony Rumors. For unknown reasons, Capcom stopped talking about the game altogether, allowing it to fade from public consciousness and only resurfacing in 2018 to renew the trademark, as reported byPush Square.
3Commander Keen Hasn’t Saved The Universe From Becoming Toast
Supposed To Release On Christmas 1992
After six main games and one “lost” episode, theCommander Keenfranchise was nearing its end by 1992. The fifth title of the humorous sci-fi action platformer ended with anote saying Keen would see fans on Christmas 1992.
It’s been over 30 years,and there’s still no sign of the next game, which was going to be titledCommander Keen in The Universe Is Toast!Understandably, by this time id Software had bigger ambitions, withDoomreleasing in 1993.
Bethesda briefly attempted tobringCommander Keenback as a mobile game, but fan response was so negative that the studio canceled the project and removed mention of it from its catalog.
There’s still a chance that thepogo-stick-wielding Earth defender Billy Blazemay return someday to finally end his saga.
2Beyond Good And Evil Is Still In Development, Allegedly
First Announced In 2008, Last (Rumored) Update In 2024
Beyind Good and Evilwas a commercial flop when it was released in 2003, causing Ubisoft to distance itself from the title. In the years since, though,the game has gained a cult followingand is considered to be a classic by many.
The title was planned to be the first in a trilogy, and thesecond game was promised to fans in 2008.Beyond Good and Evil 2would feature the first game’s protagonist, Jade, this time casting her in the role of antagonist.
The developerbroke its years-long silencein 2024 to report thatthe title is still coming along, albeit slowly. A Netflix movie is apparently also being worked on, according toDeadline, which is promising news for longtime fans of the game’s characters and world.
1Half-Life 3 Is The Most Legendary Unfinished Game
Announced In 2006, Rumors And Leaks Plentiful To This Day
Half-Life 3is the most well-known Vaporware. The finale to the legendaryHalf-Lifefranchise was announced in 2006 with a planned 2007 release, with no official updates from Valve since then.
The game’s fate might be easier to accept if it had been outright canceled. However,rumors and leaks occasionally surfaceindicating that Valve is still working on the game,stringing fans along for nearly two decades.
Out of all the games out there,Half-Life 3is the most likely to actually see a surprise release. If it does, it would finally knockDuke Nukem Foreveroff its high horse and remindGrand Theft Auto 6fans their wait could be so much worse.
