The video game industry is full to the brim with long development times and a bunch of ideas that are either ignored despite their greatness or added so late that the entire scope of the game shifts. The latter case has many known examples in the industry, with several legendary titles starting out as completely different projects before deciding to change their focus extensively.
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Most people would assume that games thatchange their course midway through developmentwouldn’t be the greatest games around, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. After all, most people know the following games to be excellent in their own right, which shows just how talented the developers behind these games really are to change their approach without too many problems.
10Donkey Kong
There was a time when Nintendo were developing an officialPopeyetitle. However, the company was unable to procure a license for the same, forcing them to change plans.
This led to the creation of Mario, Donkey Kong, and Peach, all of whom made an appearance in the legendary release ofDonkey Kong. It’s one of the most important games in Nintendo’s library that paved the way for the rest of their titles to succeed.
9Sleeping Dogs
TheTrue Crimeseries was labeled by many as nothing more than a way to emulateGTA’s success. AfterTrue Crime: New York Citywas nothing short of a failure, the series was ultimately scrapped.
This meant that the next game in the series,True Crime: Hong Kong,had to change quite a bit. It rebranded itself asSleeping Dogsand placed more of an emphasis on melee combat, making for a great open-world experience that more fans should check out.
8Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15was in development for a decade, so it’s clear that the project changed hands and shifted focus multiple times throughout the process. The game initially started asFinal Fantasy Versus 13, beforebecoming a mainline entry of its own.
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The fact thatFinal Fantasy 15was in talks to become a musical show just how wild Nomura’s ideas for the game really was. After Hajime Tabita took over the reins, the project finally entered a period of stability right up till its release.
7Assassin’s Creed
The firstAssassin’s Creedtitle set the foundations for a franchise that would become one of Ubisoft’s marquee series. What makes this game even more interesting is that the concept was initially for a completely different game.
Assassin’s Creedwas meant to be aPrince of Persiagame where players took on the role of the Prince’s bodyguard. However, after much internal debate, the new engine and its gameplay were reserved for a new IP, and the rest is history.
Everyone remembersConker’s Bad Fur Dayasa bizarre platformerthat was full to the brim with adult jokes and themes. However, there was a time when this game was meant to be a classic platformer for kids, namedTwelve Tales: Conker 64.
Unfortunately, this game looked very similar to its contemporaries, likeBanjo KazooieandSuper Mario 64. This led to the game experiencing a massive overhaul before turning into the foul-mouthedConker’s Bad Fur Daythat everyone loves.
550 Cent: Blood On The Sand
One of the more underrated action games around, it’s a shame that50 Cent: Blood on the Sandwas a commercial failure. The game was a marked improvement overBulletproof, with 50 Cent’s involvement being pretty welcome as well.
The game initially started as aCovert-Onetitle before changing its approach and name as well. The end result was a game with solid gameplay and co-op support that never managed to take off.
4The Last Of Us
The Last of Usis one of the most legendary video games ever made. Naughty Dog knocked it out of the park with this amazing title, which had everything from emotional story beats to tense action gameplay.
It’s hard to believe thatThe Last of Uscame into existence while the studio was bouncing around ideas forJak & Daxter. With their ideas veering far away from the core of this franchise, Naughty Dog decided to make a whole new IP to go in a completely new direction… and the rest is history.
3Doom
The originalDoomis one of the most groundbreaking FPS titles of all time. Many people consider this game andQuaketo be the reason why first-person shooters became so massively popular on PC.
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What makes this success even more astounding is thatDoomrose from the ashes of a canceledAliensgame! Since id Software didn’t manage to secure the rights, they decided to opt for an original IP that would become one of the most popular names in the video game industry.
2Far Cry
The firstFar Crytitle was as much of a technical marvel as it was a fun game. It was developed after a tech demo calledX-Isle: Dinosaur Islandshowcased the power of CryEngine.
This demo took place on a tropical island that was populated with dinosaurs. While the latter idea was discarded, the tropical setting remained intact forFar Cryand made it one of the best FPS titles around at the time.
1Overwatch
One of the most popular hero shooters of all time, most people can’t wait to see whatOverwatch 2has to offer. The first game was a masterpiece that added a ton of character to the multiplayer shooting action, resulting in a unique and engaging experience.
BeforeOverwatchcommended development, Blizzard was actually working on an MMO calledTitanthat was also meant to be a class-based shooter game. However, the game was pretty unbalanced and was scrapped while its team decided to refine its mechanics extensively forOverwatchinstead.
