BattleBots (lost build of unreleased GameCube/PlayStation 2 game based on combat TV series; 2003)
U.S. GameCube cover art.
Status: Lost
BattleBots was a video game based on the television show of the same name, BattleBots, a robot combat game show. Developed by Warthog Games, it would have featured forty playable robots (both real and fictional) and twenty arenas. It was supposed to be released for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 by THQ, but was ultimately cancelled, possibly due to the cancellation of the original show. The game was cancelled despite being at an advanced stage of development, as gameplay footage can be found online and the U.S. version of the GameCube version's cover art had an ESRB rating and the Nintendo Seal of Quality.
Contents
Development
The game was first announced on the official BattleBots website on September 12, 2002, with a possible release in November 2002.[1] However, the game was then postponed until early February 2003, before being delayed once again to May 2003.[2][3] However, according to ex-Warthog Games employees in an interview with Retro Gamer, THQ decided to end the project. After that, there were no more mentions of the game on the website.
Availability
While the game went unreleased, prototypes of the game were made and sold on the official website for $150[4] and again for $299.98, with seemingly only one copy for sale.[5] In May 2015, Team Nightmare Combat Robots were actually able to play the GameCube version. A screenshot exists of the aftermath, where hotel security caught them playing it on the hotel lobby's television.[6] Despite all of these events, the game is still not online in any form.
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