Xbox Reportedly Cancelled a Mission: Impossible-Inspired Spy Game

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Xbox recently cancelled a project that was intended to compete with one of PlayStation’s most popular game series. For over twenty years, Xbox and PlayStation have been rivals, generally attracting different types of gamers. Xbox has become known for shooter games, cooperative multiplayer experiences, and games with long-term replayability, like Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. PlayStation, on the other hand, has focused more on visually impressive, story-driven single-player games that feel like big-budget movies. While both companies have experimented with other genres, these have become their signature strengths, helping them build unique brands.

Recently, Xbox appeared to be focusing more on creating story-driven, single-player games. However, several of these projects were unfortunately cancelled, the most prominent being the highly anticipated *Perfect Dark*, which promised a large-scale adventure. While big single-player titles like *The Elder Scrolls 6* are still planned, Xbox could have offered even more. Now, a newly released video reveals details about a cancelled Xbox game that remained largely unknown to the public.

Xbox Cancelled a Spy Game That Would’ve Rivaled Uncharted

This video from DidYouKnowGaming tells the story of a cancelled Xbox One game first revealed with a cinematic trailer back in 2013. Developed by Black Tusk Studios – the team that later became The Coalition and created the newer Gears of War games – it was intended to be a big-budget spy thriller. The goal was to create a blockbuster action game that could rival Uncharted. Known internally as Project Ranger, the game was envisioned as a blend of Uncharted and Mission: Impossible, and sounds like it would have been a thrilling experience.

The cancelled game would have let players control two characters, Cole and Jenna. It was heavily inspired by the films *Mission: Impossible 3* and *Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol*, as shown in the only available footage of the game, which featured Cole rappelling down a tall building. Cole was designed to be similar in personality to Nathan Drake and would have been portrayed by Liam McIntyre, who now plays Wolverine in *Marvel’s Wolverine*.

Black Tusk wanted to create a game with impressive, large-scale moments, like cities destroyed by tsunamis. They were also asked to incorporate the Kinect, a key feature of the Xbox One when it first launched. Players would have been able to talk to a character at a distant base using the Kinect, and if they used the correct phrases, she would offer helpful advice or assistance during gameplay. This was intended to enhance the feeling of being a spy, though it would have been somewhat of a novelty feature.

Like many projects, the original idea for Project Ranger wasn’t very clear, which caused a lot of issues and revisions. It started as a realistic spy game, but the writers later decided to add time travel, letting them rewrite parts of the story. It felt like the team was building the game as they went, instead of having a solid plan from the start.

The project concluded when Xbox bought the Gears of War series from Epic Games and decided to have an in-house studio create the next installment. They chose Black Tusk because the studio had demonstrated potential in making third-person shooter games with cover mechanics. Many elements from this work would later be used in *Gears of War 4*, including actor Liam McIntyre, who was cast as the son of Marcus Fenix.

So, apparently Microsoft really wanted a game like Uncharted on Xbox, and when they couldn’t get one, they tried a timed exclusive deal with *Rise of the Tomb Raider*. *Quantum Break* was an attempt too, but it just didn’t quite hit the same level. They even had this project called ‘Project Ranger’ that sounded awesome – a spy thriller – but it needed a strong creative lead to make it better than just another *Gears of War* game. Honestly, it’s a shame because I heard they started working on a couple of cool spy games, but they ended up canceling them both. It’s a real bummer!

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2025-10-05 23:41