Unreleased games sounds like a question of scope as well. This isn't something we normally think of when we think 'videogame preservation' and unfortunately, it's incredibly difficult to ensure preservation of these (I remember an IGN interview that stated Rare has a VERY uncensored version of Conker in their vault that NOBODY will ever see). This all came back to a database of known released and unreleased games (though some companies don't want ANYBODY knowing about this stuff).<div>
<br></div><div>Unreleased games also find their way to the underground collecting market (there was a big article in the Escapist on this). Resident Evil 1.5 is one good example, but I haven't heard any reports of leaked copies of Castlevania Resurrection... One of the most famous cases of unreleased games later found was 'EarthBound 0' which was mentioned at one of the GDC roundtables. I don't think anyone's found a fabled beta cartridge of EarthBound for the 64DD though. And then another good example was Military Battlezone, which was thought lost and perhaps not to even exist (?) until some guy found in his barn. That was chronicled in From Sun Tzu to XBox I believe.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Maybe we want to illustrate that the case for 'lost games' isn't to a point where many things are actually being lost wholesale, but is one where we're dangling over the edge like How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Only a few things have fallen into the abyss like the red ornament, but it's on such unstable ground that a whole lot more could fall in. We could equate the Grinch to many characters in the drama, and given the overbearing weight of bit rot, DRMA, etc, it may very well take the strength of ten Grinches (plus two) to keep the rest from falling in.<br clear="all">
<br>-- <br>The sleep of Reason produces monsters.<br><br>"Until next time..."<br>Captain Commando<br>
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