Canceled Strategy Games That Were Exciting

Summary

• Many promising RTS games with unique mechanics never saw the light of day due to lack of funding and publisher support.
• Concepts like switching between RTS and FPS views or blending shooter elements with RTS mechanics were explored by developers.
• Games like Team Buddies 2 and Fate of the Dragon 2 offered interesting twists on the traditional RTS genre, but were ultimately cancelled.

When fans hear the word RTS, they will likely remember classics such as StarCraft, Age of Empires, and Command & Conquer – after all, it’s these games that shaped the genre today with iconic mechanics such as build orders and counters. However, back in the strategy game fever of the 00s and the early 2010s, many developers and publishers attempted to take the genre out for a spin with new mechanics and concepts.

While there are other takes on the RTS genre such as options to switch from FPS to RTS view, plugging in the RTS formula for smaller consoles, and even trying to hybridize the RTS with RPG concepts, a lot of these promising games ended up in production hell. However, while these titles might never see the light of day, it’s still interesting to check out just what they could have offered had they actually pushed through.

10

State Of Crisis

A Thrilling RTS Take On The FPS

When players hear the term “use gadgets to coordinate attacks in real time,” the Rainbow Six franchise immediately comes to mind – the FPS title practically perfected the “tactical” part of its formula. However, during the 2010s when introducing new FPS concepts was the craze, State of Crisis tried upping the ante: handing full control over a squad to the player. This isn’t just about directing AI teammates to do things with simple commands, but rather allowing AI teammates to act independently until players themselves intervene.

In State of Crisis, players can switch to a tactical map where they can switch to their allies in real time. Not only that, they can use electronics in the area to do a plethora of things such as switching off lights or even calling laser strikes. Using gadgets and ammo cost resources, of which players are assigned a set amount during missions, incorporating the RTS element of resource management into the mix. Unfortunately, Darkworks wasn’t able to find a publisher for State of Crisis and had to cancel its development.

9

Galaxy’s End

A Side-Scrolling RTS For The PSP

There hasn’t been a lot of real-time tactical games for the PlayStation Portable despite being quite the powerful handheld, making Galaxy’s End a promising RTS for the small console. Basing on its short trailer, Galaxy’s End involves settlers arriving on a planet and having to fight a present threat – complete with mecha soldiers with shields, bipedal laser bots, and tanks. Unlike other RTS titles, Galaxy’s End seems to be a top-down side scroller, where conflicts with enemies generally happen along the middle to the right side of the map while players populate the left side with their units and structures.

Unfortunately, not much is known about Galaxy’s End full slate of features. According to Tiki Games, they didn’t have enough funding for Galaxy’s End to finish its full development, especially when the studio at the time had no way of determining whether there’s a big-enough audience to purchase a downloadable title within the PlayStation Store. In an archive of a forum post (of which the original domain was unfortunately scrubbed), Tiki Games explained that the lack of funding meant they cannot finish the game.

8

Team Buddies 2

Worms Meets Shooters Meets RTS

When Team Buddies got released for the PlayStation, it had quite the odd premise: think Worms but with shooter and RTS elements. Touted as an action strategy title, Team Buddies lets players control one pill-shaped “Buddy” as they take Crates to their base, which in itself is a platform. Stacking Crates in certain order can spawn different weapons, and even up to three Buddies that players can switch to at any given time but also act independently. The goal is to fight for supremacy, essentially eliminating the other team of Buddies elsewhere on the map.

The game supposedly had a sequel named Team Buddies 2, but got shelved as Sony didn’t fund Psygnosis games at the time. This was a shame as Team Buddies 2 seems to build upon the original game’s rather unique premise. The addition of the action element meant players can get into the action as much as they can plan ahead, forcing them to think whether they should prioritize leading the charge themselves or supporting the team by gathering more crates to build better structures.

7

Emperor

A Handheld RTS That Would’ve Been Perfect For The Nintendo DS

Ever since the advent of RTS on the PC, fans have been clamoring for handhelds to pursue the concept – unfortunately, the resource-intensive nature of an RTS and its multiple elements became an immense hurdle for developers to handle. This was also the case for Emperor, but it seems Frame Studios actually cracked the code to get an RTS into the Nintendo DS before its eventual cancellation due to a lack of a publisher.

In the trailer, Emperor is a simple RTS title with a three-faction approach: the Greeks, the Romans, and the Egyptians. The game’s story involves expanding one’s faction across the game map, with the bottom screen of the DS allocated for menu activities (resource tracking, building and production) with a real-time, isometric view above. Players can drag buildings around a screen to build them, and units could be pointed towards an area for movement and attack. Had it been released, Emperor would be the first RTS for the Nintendo DS.

6

Fate Of The Dragon 2

A True Successor To An Interesting RTS

With Romance of the Three Kingdoms being the closest franchise players had to an iconic title about the Three Kingdoms period (until 2019’s Total War: Three Kingdoms), it’s no surprise that 2000’s Three Kingdoms: Fate of the Dragon was a breath of fresh air for RTS fans. Set in the same period, the Overmax Studios title controlled factions controlled by Liu Bei (Shu Han), Sun Quan (Eastern Wu), and Cao Cao (Cao Wei) as they vied for dominance in a map in traditional RTS fashion.

Although it received Dragon Throne: Battle of Red Cliffs as an expansion, Fate of the Dragon 2 was poised as the “true” sequel. Unfortunately, not much is known about its development except its eventual cancellation. It seemed the game’s engine and graphics were used by a Fate Online MMO, but the game hasn’t been localized outside of China. Based on the trailer, Fate of the Dragon 2 seems to continue the first game’s setting of the Three Kingdoms Era, complete with Chinese locales, architecture, and military units.

5

Dune Generations

The Original MMO To Showcase A War For Arrakis

Such was the recognition of Dune as a sci-fi franchise that it spawned one of the industry’s first forays into modern RTS (2001’s Emperor: Battle for Dune), which makes it just as poetic for Dune to also have one of the first attempts for an MMORTS concept in the form of Dune Generations. According to Cryonetworks, Dune Generations is set in a persistent and massively multiplayer “world” where players assume control of a dynasty in Arrakis they have to raise as the most powerful in the planet.

Had it pushed through, players could have been a trader, soldier, or mercenary-type dynasty, with the MMO offering a different experience depending on the player’s choice. While there was a video trailer released in 2001 and went in alpha in 2002, Cryo’s bankruptcy ultimately axed the game’s development. The most recent Dune games was the RTS-with-4X Dune: Spice Wars and the upcoming Dune: Awakening survival MMO.

4

Spoils Of War

An Action-Packed FPS/RTS Hybrid

When humanity discovers the Saturn 5 wormhole in 2090, it led them to many planets that can support life – including a benevolent race called the Ematrants. Unfortunately, when an unfortunate illness among the Ematrants had cause distrust among the two species, players have to play Spoils of War to see a true end to their eventual conflict. The game itself is an interesting take on the sci-fi RTS genre, as its StarCraft-esque approach to unique races with unique buildings is now blended with an option to switch to FPS to command soldiers into battle.

Spoils of War features over 50 unique units and structures, all of which players can interact with seamlessly, regardless of their chosen mode. Not only that, the multiplayer-only nature of the game means players can switch to different modes to affect the flow of combat – where one player could be taking the charge of the game’s RTS mode while their teammates are in FPS modes working their way to turn the tide of combat. Unfortunately, East Coast Games had to cancel Spoils of War after failing to meet its funding targets in 2014.

3

Wildman

A Prehistoric RPG/RTS Hybrid

When a game features the prehistoric era, it’s often just reserved at the “beginning” of matches – and even then, it often doesn’t last, such as in Civilization games where Settlers are easily drafted into their more advanced counterparts. In Wildman, players take control of humans from 200,000 years ago in an alternate history where civilizations can evolve with both technology and magic. While players initially control a Wildman or Wildwoman, they’re tasked to conquer various enemy civilizations around them while exploring the world.

Its RPG elements involve the player’s commander exploring the world – fighting monsters, exploring dungeons, and acquiring items. However, special War Zones allow players to draft their own armies to fight other armies, with players being able to upgrade their units with technology, magic, and armor. When players defeat another civilization, their tech is theirs for the taking, allowing them to improve their own existing faction on the fly. Although initially revealed in 2013 with a Kickstarter, devs from Gas Powered Games had to be laid over due to financial difficulties and the game ultimately had to be cancelled.

2

Terra: Formations

A Clash Of Genres In This Sci-Fi FPS/RTS Combo

Revealed by Starcave Entertainment in 2005, Terra: Formation was poised as a multiplayer FPS/RTS hybrid where players are “free” to alternate between playstyles they prefer as they wage war in vast environments. Set in 2157 where factions of a ruined mankind wage war on Europa for resources, players can become a Soldier, Engineer, Researcher, or Commander – all of which have unique interactions with the game.

The game’s genre-switching mechanic is supported by its evolving environment, where terraforming progress can affect gameplay. Players can switch perspectives on the fly, wherein they can build units and move them around in an RTS-style isometric view and zoom in to a selected unit to control their movement in the thick of battle. After a dismal Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that only resulted in $75 of its $175,000 goal being funded, it was rebranded as T.E.R.R.A. in 2014 with a projected 2016 release date. Unfortunately, the game never saw the light of day with no official explanation.

1

End Of Nations

An MMORTS That Could Have Been A Welcome Modern Title In The Genre

Many games had a different vision of what an MMORTS could look like, but End of Nations had showed the closest thing to a reasonable concept with its trailer – where essentially 20+ players engage with each other in a massive map with a persistent environment. Courtesy of folks from Petroglyph Games, the game apparently takes place in a near future where a global economic crisis has led to a worldwide collapse, with only three factions – two of which are player-controlled, the third being computer-controlled and the game’s antagonists – left.

It seems End of Nations is stylized as a battle arena type game, with multiple factions playing in the map at once. However, its concept has certainly created a buzz given how it wanted to include more than 20+ players in a single map at once, potentially creating rather chaotic but fun matches. Unfortunately, not much is known about the overall gameplay mechanics of End of Nations. However, the title had received much-warranted attention as its team from Petroglyph Games were comprised of devs also known for Command & Conquer, making the project somewhat feasible had it not been quietly shelved. There hasn’t been any official announcement for its cancelation, only that any mentions of the game have been removed in the Trion Worlds website in 2014.