Graydon Webb – Contrarian American/Card Game Unenthusiast

Phantom Dust Reboot – Xbox One

Credit: Polygon

This choice may seem completely out of left field, but… do you guys remember Phantom Dust? Originally released in 2004 for the OG Xbox, this real-time strategy title with collectible card game elements – from the mind behind Panzer Dragoon – has become a cult classic since its debut. In fact, it was so beloved by Microsoft that at E3 2014, a brand new reboot was announced, alongside a breathtaking pre-rendered cinematic! But where has that game gone since?

Well, according to the Wikipedia page, it’s a fascinating story, and one that shows just how toxic the games industry can be. It is here that we uncover just why I chose Phantom Dust, a game I have no personal history with, over something like Scalebound, which I mourn every single day. The behind-the-scenes mayhem that occured with Phantom Dust‘s development is just too wild to ignore.

Credit: VG247

It seems that beginning in early 2014, Microsoft suggested a reboot of Phantom Dust, giving it to Darkside Game Studios along with a $5 million budget. Over the course of the next few months, Microsoft would get stingy with their money and overall support, denying any requests for help while adding on to the workload.

By the time E3 came around that year, the publisher had told Darkside to add a single player campaign to this previously multiplayer-exclusive reboot, and while the devs were nearly done with a vertical slice to show Microsoft, Phantom Dust suddenly appeared at E3. Darkside was blindsided by the aforementioned cinematic, and worried it would give the public too much to hope for.

In the coming months, Microsoft would continue to deny funds to Darkside, ultimately shuttering the project and forcing the studio to lay everyone off and go out of business. Perhaps the worst thing is that Microsoft still holds onto hope for Phantom Dust to reappear someday. But in the end, this whole thing has put a sour taste in my mouth as well as many other gamers, as we watched a greedy publisher take over a small studio and crush it beneath the weight of extreme pressure and irrational demands.

Personally, I thought Phantom Dust looked awesome when I saw it at E3 2014, and I wondered about where it went for many years. Thankfully, I know now that what I saw was nothing but a pipe dream, and it was never meant to be. Microsoft has made a lot of strange and shitty decisions in its time, but this has to be one of the most selfish and upsetting. So, rest in peace, Phantom Dust. And Darkside Game Studios.

And Scalebound.

With that the first part of this trilogy is at an end. Coming soon will be some discussion from us here at VGU about games that were in development hell. Thank you for checking out this article and let us know in the comments what game had you in our shoes so to speak.