The PS5 launched in 2020, and unlike most PlayStation consoles, there haven’t been that many exclusives from first-party studios. Instead, this is the console generation that is embracing PC ports the most, which widens the net in terms of outreach more so than a console exclusive. As forward-thinking as the idea has been for Sony and the PS5, that doesn’t mean they are fixing the industry.
Six years in, counting 2020, there have already been tons of canceled games from first-party developers and third-party publishers. Some PS5 games were announced and then canceled, while others made themselves known only after being canceled. Whether or not these were the right decisions shouldn’t matter. Instead, let’s highlight the dead one last time for curiosity’s sake.
The Last of Us Online
From A Bonus Mode To A Standalone Project To A Canceled Dream
- Project Announced: 2022 (As A Standalone Game)
- Project Canceled: 2023
The Last of Us consists of two games and two seasons of a TV show, and this has been the standard since it premiered in 2013. Two games, not counting re-releases, to supply fans for over a decade is not great, but there were plans to make a third game.
What started as a multiplayer segment to The Last of Us Part 2 transformed into a standalone online multiplayer game simply called The Last of Us Online during development. Not much is known about the game as only a few pieces of artwork and a leaked lobby screenshot exist, but the project was officially canceled in 2023, way before Naughty Dog could even show it off properly.
Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland
Two For One
- Project Announced: 2021
- Project Canceled: 2024
There were two Tom Clancy games that were shuttered from within Ubisoft. First, Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland was a similar looter shooter game to the other two games set within The Division universe. It also had a massive PvP mode to differentiate it from its predecessors, and it was canceled in 2024.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Frontline is the other canceled game in the series, which was canned in 2022, and it was more like a Battle Royale experience. Apparently, Ubisoft is working on another Ghost Recon game instead, but no one knows if that will ever come to fruition.
God Of War (Live-Service)
Moving Pantheons
- Project Announced: N/A
- Project Canceled: 2025
God of War started as a series featuring Kratos killing a pantheon of Greek gods through three spin-offs and a complete trilogy. The series then moved on to Norse mythology for two games, but still starred Kratos, which did wrap up its narrative in just two games. One of the Greek spinoffs was called God of War: Ascension, which was a multiplayer versus game, so the idea for multiplayer existed long before there were plans to make an untitled God of War game as a live-service experience akin to Destiny.
Not much is known about the project as it was a secret behind the scenes, and it was canceled in 2025. There was creative room to go after another pantheon of gods, like Egyptian or Shinto, but fans will never know for sure until footage or artwork leaks of the project. The alleged leaked screenshots show some Greek-like architecture, so it's still unsafe to say what the game would have been like.
Twisted Metal (Live-Service)
Smash Something
- Project Announced: N/A
- Project Canceled: 2024
It has been a long time since the last Twisted Metal game came out, which was a PS3 release in 2012. Since then, Sony has helped develop two seasons of a TV Show for Peacock, which is an astoundingly good adaptation of the property.
The game side of fans would have gotten a live-service game had it not been canceled. Like God of War’s live-service game, not much is known beyond the fact that it was effectively canceled in 2024. The screenshots shared are from the 2012 Twisted Metal game, as no assets for the canceled game seem to exist.
Wild
A Magical Druid Game
- Project Announced: 2014
- Project Canceled: Around 2021
Wild is a game example that was actually shown off in somewhat greater detail before disappearing for decades. It was first announced in 2014, with the gameplay demonstration featuring an action-adventure world built on mysticism and myths wherein players could play Druid-like heroes.
Beyond a few more showings, the game eventually disappeared without a trace but was never outright canceled, leaving many fans wondering if it would ever resurface. Behind the scenes, it was quietly shut down, but when that exactly was is not known, which could have been around 2021 at the earliest.
Read the full article on GameRant
This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
