ECW Anarchy Rulz (lost build of cancelled Nintendo 64 port of professional wrestling game; existence unconfirmed; 2000)

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Ecwanarchyrulz1.jpg

Cover art for the PlayStation version of ECW Anarchy Rulz.

Status: Existence Unconfirmed

ECW Anarchy Rulz is a professional wrestling game developed and published by Acclaim Entertainment. Based on Extreme Championship Wrestling, the game would be released on the PlayStation and Dreamcast in mid-2000. Additionally, it has been alleged that a Nintendo 64 port of the game was in development but was ultimately cancelled.

Background

ECW Anarchy Rulz served as a sequel to ECW Hardcore Revolution, which was also developed and published by Acclaim Entertainment earlier in 2000 for the PlayStation, N64, Game Boy Colour and Dreamcast.[1] ECW Hardcore Revolution's commercial success, where it sold over 600,000 units early, inspired Acclaim to quickly develop and publish a sequel.[2] ECW Anarchy Rulz included new features, including new match types like table matches.[3] Released in mid-2000, the game ultimately received generally negative reviews from critics,[4] and would prove to be the last ECW game before the company folded on 4th April, 2001.[5]

Nintendo 64 Port

ECW Anarchy Rulz would initially be sold on the PlayStation, with the Dreamcast receiving a release later in 2000.[6] Earlier that same year, in its April 2000 issue, Nintendo Power reported that ECW Anarchy Rulz would receive a release on the Nintendo 64 in September.[7] GameSpot would later publish a report on Nintendo Power's claim, and attempted to contact Acclaim representatives for confirmation. However, the company refused to elaborate on details surrounding the game, nor confirm if a N64 port was indeed being developed. It was expected that confirmation would occur during Acclaim's E3 2000 showcase.[8]

The game would be showcased at the exhibition, with ECW wrestlers also competing in matches during the event.[9] However, only the PlayStation version was revealed, with no news on any N64 port,[10] though this also meant the released Dreamcast version was also absent from the event. Despite ECW Hardcore Revolution's success on the N64, its sequel would go unreleased on the platform.

Status

Because of Nintendo Power's affiliation with Nintendo of America, it does bring legitimacy to the Nintendo 64 port claim. However, with no other official acknowledgement from Acclaim or other sources, the port's existence still remains questionable. Even if development did commence, no build nor any footage or screenshots of the port have ever publicly resurfaced.

Image

  • Nintendo Power reporting that a Nintendo 64 port of ECW Anarchy Rulz was to be released in September 2000.

    Nintendo Power reporting that a Nintendo 64 port of ECW Anarchy Rulz was to be released in September 2000.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ Archived Acclaim page detailing the releases of ECW Hardcore Revolution. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  2. ↑ Archived Acclaim press release detailing ECW Hardcore Revolution's commercial success. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  3. ↑ IGN review of ECW Anarchy Rulz, noting the new match types. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  4. ↑ Metacritic score for the PlayStation version of ECW Anarchy Rulz. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  5. ↑ IGN reporting on ECW folding. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  6. ↑ Archived Yahoo! Finance page reporting on the release of ECW Anarchy Rulz. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  7. ↑ April 2000 issue of Nintendo Power providing the Nintendo 64 port claim. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  8. ↑ GameSpot reporting on the Nintendo Power claim, and receiving no confirmation from Acclaim officials. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  9. ↑ Giant Bomb providing photos of the ECW Anarchy Rulz E3 2000 showcase. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
  10. ↑ IGN reporting on Acclaim's E3 2000 showcase, noting only the PlayStation version of ECW Anarchy Rulz was showcased. Retrieved 14 Dec '21
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