Recently, news of a canceled Nintendo project has resurfaced, leaving fans of The Legend of Zelda series in suspense. The nostalgic title in question, known as Project X, is said to have been a spin-off of the popular franchise. While details about its gameplay remain largely unknown, some sources have revealed that the game had a playable prototype at one point.
Details About The Canceled Game’s Prototypes
Project X was originally conceptualized by Nintendo’s Research & Development 1 Division. It was set to be an open-world Legend of Zelda game with an emphasis on exploration and adventure, similar to 2002’s The Wind Waker. According to reports from former R&D employees, the project had two separate prototypes – one for a home console release and another for the handheld Game Boy Advance. Though they were able to get both working prototypes running on their respective platforms, the game was ultimately left unfinished and unreleased.
The GBA prototype is said to have featured four playable levels and two mini-games for players to try out. Fans have also speculated that this version might have included characters from past Zelda titles like Link and Ganon, as well as new ones specifically designed for Project X.
Why Was It Cancelled?
Unfortunately, there remains no clear reason as to why this promising project was cancelled before a full project could be released. One possible reason could be related to Nintendo’s larger business strategy; around this time period they were transitioning away from single-console releases such as Project X in favor of multiplatform console launches which allowed them more control over pricing and profitability.
Additionally, there were major production challenges facing Project X – namely that it was being developed across two platforms at once (the Gamecube and GBA