5) Homefront: The Revolution
In the wake of its promising E3 debut, everything seemed to be going swimmingly for Homefront: The Revolution. In fact, many were surprised that Crytek UK’s sequel even existed at all, given the moderate success of its predecessor, but fans of the cult original were left overjoyed nonetheless. A mere six weeks later and reports coming out of the studio painted a sorry picture; with rumors suggesting that the entire staff at the developing studio had ceased production due to financial issues.
It was a troubling time for the Nottingham-based team, but it wasn’t long before Deep Silver stepped in to acquire “all coherent assets” from Crytek and effectively seize control of the IP. But since then, the project has went dark. Judging by the reveal trailer, it appeared as though Crytek were pretty far along in development, so it’ll be fascinating to see the final build of Homefront: The Revolution — if we ever do, that is.
That said, Deep Silver’s newly-acquired sequel isn’t the only title to be plagued with corporate troubles. Through time, a plethora of video games have persisted through troubled development cycles. Most notable of which was Grand Theft Auto, which was originally called Race ‘N’ Chase before its grand debut back in 1997. But according to one developer at DMA Design — the figurative forebearer to the Rockstar Games we know today — the monumental franchise flirted with cancellation before it even made it out the door.
For reference, this is what the developer had to say:
Because it was constantly evolving over the course of four years, it could have been canned at any point. Every week, someone wanted to kill this game. We’d have to argue to keep it going.
This isn’t to say that Homefront: The Revolution will roar back onto the scene like a phoenix from the ashes, but it’s an interesting parallel to make. Will Deep Silver overhaul the entire premise of the sequel? Indeed will the follow-up even see the light of day under a new publisher?
Who knows. Whatever the outcome, we can’t help but feel that Homefront: The Revolution had its wings clipped just before it had the chance to leave the nest.
