There’s more to come as well. Star Citizen has broken a number of crowdfunding records since it was successfully backed in 2012, and the Cloud Imperium game aims to push the boundaries of the space sim genre. Meanwhile, two other titles have recently achieved their crowdfunded goals: Yooka-Laylee acts as a perfect spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, whilst Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night sees Castlevania developer Koji Igarashi returning to the platforming genre.
Even then, there are certainly more games that could do with a Kickstarter-backed successor. After all, the history of video games is littered with much-loved abandoned franchises and highly-anticipated cancelled games. Here’s our pick of 10 games deserving of a crowdfunded reboot.
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Silent Hills
When Silent Hills was cancelled, it immediately became one of the most controversial parts of recent gaming news. The collaboration between Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro - starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus no less - looked set to become a classic after P.T. appeared on the PlayStation Store. However, Kojima’s split from publisher Konami was far from amicable, resulting in the title’s cancellation and P.T. being eradicated from players’ game libraries.
Silent Hill fans looking forward to the project still cling on to a thin ray of hope, though, as del Toro has said that he would be more than happy to collaborate with Kojima once more. There would certainly be enough fans to successfully fund the title, if that incredibly popular online petition is any indicator. It may be a long shot, but here’s hoping a spiritual sibling could one day happen.
Page 2: Dragons and Motorcycles
The Road Rash series was one of the most popular franchises in the 1990’s. The road racing titles had players riding through the streets on high-speed motorbikes, punching and ramming opposing racers as they went. Road Rash was ever-present on the Sega Genesis with a trilogy of games, before making the jump to the original PlayStation with Road Rash 3D and Road Rash: Jailbreak.
After that, though, Road Rash seemed to disappear. Some of the original development team, including lead programmer Dan Giesler, tried to create a spiritual successor named Hard Rider: Back in the Saddle, but the team was unable to find publisher funding for the project. With crowdfunding for experienced developers now becoming a viable option, is it time for Road Rash to make a comeback?
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The early 3D era saw a number of new characters tentatively stepping into the platforming world, and amongst the best of these was Spyro The Dragon. The titular hero received three Insomniac Games-developed adventures between 1998 and 2000. After that, however, Spyro seemed to take a turn for the worst, with several further platforming titles receiving mixed reviews from critics.
Now, Spyro stars as one of a host of characters in the Skylanders series, but perhaps it’s time for the dragon to make a comeback. The successful backing of Yooka-Laylee has set a precedent for well-loved 1990’s platformers to have successors. The Insomniac team would like to see Spyro return, too: last year, Insomniac CEO Ted Price said “never say never” to a return for the character.
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TimeSplitters cut a fine path through its competitors in the first person shooter genre. The multiplayer-focused series was renowned for its humor, with light-hearted characters and campaigns full of tongue-in-cheek moments. The darker, grittier side of the FPS may have been starting to take over the market, but TimeSplitters forged its own way, and did it with style.
Unfortunately, Free Radical Design fell into administration, resulting in a buyout from Crytek. The studio’s new parent company has also suffered from severe financial difficulties, leaving TimeSplitters in perpetual limbo and multiplayer only spin-off TimeSplitters Rewind short on hope. Series developer Steve Ellis may believe that TimeSplitters doesn’t have a “selling point” that would interest publishers, but a crowdfunded entry in the series could see a return to the well-loved franchise.
Page 3: An RPG Classic
For many, Chrono Trigger was the quintessential JRPG, a dream collaboration between important figures from both the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy franchises. Indeed, the 1995 title is still regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time. The 1999 parallel universe-based follow-up, Chrono Cross, was also a huge success, with the PlayStation title receiving rave reviews and a strong fanbase of its own.
After that, however, the series faded into obscurity, with no further releases. Square Enix filed trademarks for both Chrono Break and Chrono Brake in 2001, but neither name came to any kind of announced project. Perhaps now is the time for the Chrono series to turn back the clock, with the help of the franchise’s devoted fans.
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Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil is one of the most unique games of its generation, letting players experience a strange setting full of rich characters. The Ubisoft title was loved by nearly everyone who played it, even though the game may not have been a commercial hit. Beyond Good & Evil’s immersive world and brilliant storytelling warranted Ubisoft promising a sequel, which was announced in 2008.
Unfortunately, work on the project has been stop-start at best. Creator Michel Ancel has regularly maintained his desire to work on Beyond Good & Evil 2, but fans of the original are steadily losing faith as to whether the sequel will ever see the light of day. With Ancel moving over to form his own development team, Wild Sheep Studio, perhaps the best course of action would be to take the project to gamers themselves, to allow the world of Jade and Pey’j to see the light of day once more.
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Full Throttle
In the golden age of adventure games, LucasArts was considered king. The likes of Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle opened up the genre to a wider audience, with fantastic humor, vibrant stories and iconic characters. Chief amongst these titles was the Tim Schafer-helmed Full Throttle, which placed players in a dystopian future full of roaming biker gangs.
Full Throttle may have been a success, but the franchise has not become a long-lasting name in the industry, unlike contemporaries like Monkey Island. The game had a number of failed sequels, and the development team has since moved on to other things. Given Tim Schafer’s crowdfunding history with Broken Age, it seems as though Full Throttle would be ideal for a Kickstarter funding campaign.
Page 4: Future Racing & Classic Characters
Perfect Dark
Once upon a time, Rare was king of the console-based shooters. GoldenEye has gone down in history as one of the best examples of a console FPS, but Rare followed up its iconic title with a shooter seen by many as being superior. Perfect Dark brought together a strong playable character with a quirky science fiction storyline, recruiting an army of fans in the process.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the game’s sequel. Perfect Dark Zero had mixed reviews upon release, and was seen by many as the start of Rare’s demise under Microsoft ownership. With much of the original Rare team now separate from the company, the time could be right for a spiritual successor to be created.
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Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is one of the most beloved games from the 16-bit era, gaining a dedicated fanbase due to its eye-catching visuals, erratic humor, and tricky platforming gameplay. The title had a sequel in 1995, before a HD remake was released for digital stores in 2010. Given the mixed reception the remake received, it may well be time for a brand new game from the beloved character.
There is even a precedent in place for a wacky 1990’s franchise to make a triumphant return. This year, ToeJam & Earl was on the receiving end of a successful crowdfunding campaign, helmed by original series creator Greg Johnson. We’d certainly love to see Earthworm Jim return - although we’d also settle for a spin-off based on the adventures of Psy-Crow.
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F-Zero
When it comes to iconic video game franchises, Nintendo may hold the most under one roof. That could be one reason for F-Zero’s lack of recent games - after all, the series has to compete with the likes of Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Donkey Kong. Even so, it’s a shame that Super Smash Bros. is the closest fans of the franchise can get to a new F-Zero game.
If the publisher is concerned about whether gamers would get behind another title in the series, a crowdfunded F-Zero game could be the answer. It’s unlikely that Nintendo would work with a crowdfunded model, but with a number of F-Zero alumni around in the industry, a spiritual successor could be an appropriate entry for the dormant franchise. And who knows - given that Nintendo has taken up mobile gaming and figurine peripherals in recent months, perhaps the publisher could take that radical step towards crowdfunding.
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What do you make of our list? Are there any lost games you would love to see developed outside of the normal publisher model? Let us know in the comments below!
