Radio Silence: 9 Games That Have Gone Dark

It’s hard to keep up-to-date with all of the announcements and goings on of the games industry. New video games are released or teased every day, controversies arise, and hype moves at a bullet-fast pace. Unfortunately, there are games that get swallowed up in the grind, enjoying five minutes of fame before being consumed by the rapidly moving news cycle. It’s even worse when these games are merely announced, but go dark for extended periods of time.

As we stare down a new year, let’s take a look at some of the more recent projects we learned about that have since gone dark and try to piece together when we might see them again.

Deep Down

Announced during E3 2013, Deep Down is a free-to-play cooperative dungeon crawler in a similar vein to Dark Souls. It places a heavy emphasis on combat and exploration, and was said to make use of Capcom’s then-new development technology. Since then, we’ve barely heard anything about it, and as of December 2016, there has not been so much as a public beta for Deep Down.

When will we see it again? This one’s a tough call to make. Considering we’ve heard so little about it, I’m not entirely positive Capcom even has plans to still release it. But, they could easily surprise us with an all-new look during Tokyo Game Show or PlayStation Experience this year.

Crackdown 3

The latest in Microsoft's madcap open world series was announced onstage during E3 2014, boasting a new world, fully destructible environments, and a return to the goofy fun reminiscent of its predecessors. Since then, however, we have barely heard or seen anything about it, largely relying on occasional trickles of information from interviews with developers and publishers. 

When will we see it again? Crackdown 3 developers are eyeing a holiday 2017 release date for the open-world game. Whether or not they stick to it remains to be seen, but we're hopeful we can destroy this cel-shaded city within a few months. 

Kingdom Hearts 3

Much like the Final Fantasy VII Remake, Kingdom Hearts 3 is one of Square’s Japanese-developed games that have more-or-less gone into hiding. Since its announcement at E3 2013, we’ve learned it will have worlds based on Frozen and Big Hero 6 and have seen a small teaser for it in the Kingdom Hearts HD remaster. Meanwhile, Square is issuing remasters and rereleases of old Kingdom Hearts games with such comically complex names as "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue" to fill the gap.

When will we see it again? It’s been long enough that I think we can count on seeing more of it during this year’s E3, most likely on Sony’s stage for their major press conference. Alternately, we can look forward to Kingdom Hearts 2.9.

Drawn to Death

Helmed by longtime veteran David Jaffe, Drawn to Death has been largely silent since it was announced and shown off during PSX 2014. Still, we know it’s in development and is targeting a release. It has been spotted on show floors at various conventions and different impressions of it have been recorded in both video and written form.

When will we see it again? Now roughly three years into development, it seems likely we've very close to seeing a full reveal of Drawn to Death sometime this year, perhaps in the form of a digital download exclusively on PS4. 

Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red has been taking its time creating Cyberpunk 2077, considering it was announced back in 2012. That may ultimately be a wise decision on their part, however, since expectations in our post-Witcher 3 world will be heaped on them in a big way. They’ve stuck to a very rigid “it’s coming when it’s coming” development schedule for better or for worse, although we have learned it will feature the same setting from the pen and paper RPG it is adapting and will include “seamless” multiplayer.

When will we see it again? Now that development on The Witcher 3 has largely wrapped and left a positive impression on the industry, I imagine CD Projekt will want to capitalize on that good grace and keep the train rolling with a brand-new trailer showing off gameplay this year. Perhaps that’s optimistic, but we'd really like to learn more about Cyberpunk 2077.

Shenmue 3

Announced during the same conference as the Final Fantasy VII remake, Shenmue 3 went on to raise a large amount of money on Kickstarter and beyond. We’ve heard a few things since then, including a recent update from December 2016 showing off screenshots. But we still have yet to see an extended amount of pure footage from it.

When will we see it again? It’s slated for a December 2017 release date. Considering how little we’ve seen, that release date seems highly unlikely. But then, stranger things have happened.

Dreams

Media Molecule’s bizarre creativity-driven game Dreams was revealed during E3 2015 as a game including the tools for players to craft their own unique adventures akin to their dreams. We’ve seen and heard little of it since its announcement.

When will we see it again? The beta was pushed back to 2017, so it’s possible we get a beta announcement and new trailer (if no complete showcase) during E3 this year. Especially considering its PSVR integration and the relatively new peripheral from Sony, they may want to push it in an attempt to drive sales on the HMD.

Unreal Tournament

Officially revealed in May 2014, Unreal Tournament is a revival of the classic multiplayer shooter being developed by Epic Games in conjunction with the community. It’s currently still in a pre-alpha state and free to download via the official website.

When will we see it again? It’s easily accessible, but development on this one has been relatively slow as they take in community feedback to integrate it into the final game. Maybe we’ll see it in some sort of beta state by the end of the year. Either way, with Quake Champions coming, it’s a win for competitive PC shooters.

Metal Gear Survive

Announced during Tokyo Game Show a few months ago in 2016, Metal Gear Survive is Konami’s first Metal Gear game without the guidance of Hideo Kojima in which characters from the Metal Gear universe wind up going through a wormhole and fighting off zombie-like monsters in a cooperative shooter format.

When will we see it again? Metal Gear Survive seems like the cash grab-biest of cash grabs, adorning the name of the beloved franchise in an attempt to make the most of its popularity. I wouldn’t be surprised if it stealth released at 11:15 on a Thursday night this year, only to be quickly abandoned shortly afterward.