5 Lost Media Games You’ll Never Get to Play

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It’s crucial to remember and protect the history of video games, and a major challenge is ‘lost media.’ This refers to any game that hasn’t been copied from its original format. Without this copy, these games are essentially unplayable. Lost media can include games that were started but never finished, fully developed but never released, or even games that were released but have since been lost due to lack of backup. These are often games that, unfortunately, we may never be able to experience.

1) Kid Kirby

A game called Kid Kirby was in development by DMA Design (now Rockstar North) for the Super Nintendo. It would have starred a baby Kirby and used the Super NES Mouse for gameplay. The idea was to create a platformer where players would drag Kirby through levels, similar to how Angry Birds works. Although some of the game’s artwork and level designs have been shared online, a playable version hasn’t surfaced – no one has released or found a complete game file. More artwork appeared in 2022, but there wasn’t enough to piece together a working game.

2) Return of Donkey Kong

A game called Return of Donkey Kong was planned for the Nintendo Entertainment System and first revealed in the Official Nintendo Player’s Guide in 1987. It was discussed in various publications afterward, and some ads even suggested players would be able to control Donkey Kong himself – years before Donkey Kong Country came out on the Super Nintendo. The game was last mentioned in May 1988 in Computer Entertainer, with a promise of a release later that year. However, it was ultimately canceled and never actually released, remaining only as announcements and advertising.

3) Sonic Riders

A Game Boy Advance version of Sonic Riders was planned to launch alongside the console versions, aiming to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Backbone Entertainment was developing the port, but Sega wasn’t satisfied with the 2D graphics within the 3D game. They couldn’t meet Sega’s requirements in time, and the project was ultimately cancelled. Although no screenshots or gameplay footage have been found, evidence of the game’s development exists online, and it’s currently considered lost media – a complete version has never been released.

4) Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers

Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers was a puzzle game created by Rare for the Game Boy Advance. Rare had previously worked on Donkey Kong games, and they designed Coconut Crackers as a 3D puzzle game viewed from an angle. The gameplay involved Donkey Kong dropping paint-filled coconuts to create shapes like squares and rectangles. A demo version of the game was released for testing, but after Microsoft acquired Rare, the project was canceled. Instead, it was reworked and released as It’s Mr. Pants. Sadly, even the original demo of Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers hasn’t been preserved.

5) Beavis and Butt-Head

An arcade game based on Beavis and Butt-Head was developed in 1996, but ultimately canceled. However, unlike many unreleased games, a few arcade cabinets were actually produced. Built with 3DO technology and inspired by the TV show, the game had four of its six levels finished before testing revealed it wasn’t performing well. The cancellation also coincided with Midway’s acquisition of Atari, which led to the termination of several other projects. Twelve prototype machines were auctioned off, and over the years, players have occasionally discovered them in arcades. Sadly, the game’s code hasn’t been digitally preserved, meaning the only way to experience it is to find one of the original cabinets and hope it’s still functioning.

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2026-05-06 18:15