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Press Start To Cancel: A Journey to the Video Game Graveyard and the Masterpieces You Never Played
Paperback
Series: High Score Books.
Games & Activities GeneralProgramming
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Mar 9 2026
Pages: 196
Weight: 0.59
Height: 0.42 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
What happens to the video games that promised to revolutionize the world, only to vanish without a trace?
We all know the great success stories of the video game industry, but the true face of digital entertainment isn't found on store shelves-it's found in the recycle bin. Press Start to Cancel is a fascinating journalistic journey to the pixel graveyard, where the masterpieces we never got to play are buried.
Through exhaustive and rigorous research, Mark P. Carpenter unearths the corpses of the most ambitious and painful projects in history. Discover why corporate giants, ego wars, runaway budgets, and internet toxicity annihilated games that were destined to make history.
In these pages, you will discover:
How Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm executed Star Wars 1313 in cold blood.
The brutal ego war that destroyed Silent Hills and wiped P.T. from existence.
The hyper-violent fighting game (Thrill Kill) that was canceled despite being 100% finished.
The culture clash that collapsed the dream project of Xbox and PlatinumGames (Scalebound).
The tragic story of the indie creator who erased his masterpiece (Fez II) because of Twitter.
And many more cases: EarthBound 64, Agent, The Last of Us Online, Fable Legends...
Say goodbye to the myth of the misunderstood developer. This book exposes the raw, relentless, and fascinating reality of an industry where the greatest achievement, sometimes, is simply getting a game to see the light of day.
Pick up the controller. The journey to the darkest side of your favorite hobby is about to begin.
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