Blizzard's Graveyard of Dreams: The Comprehensive History of Canceled Games

Blizzard Entertainment is renowned for creating some of the most beloved gaming franchises in history, including Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo. However, behind every successful release lies a graveyard of abandoned projects—games that were conceived, developed, and ultimately canceled before they could see the light of day. Thanks to Jason Schreier's new book "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment," we now have the most comprehensive look yet at Blizzard's extensive catalog of canceled games.

The Early Years: Experimentation in the 1990s

Games People Play (Early 1990s)

One of Blizzard's earliest canceled projects was "Games People Play," a crossword/word game in development during the company's formative years. While little is known about this project, it represents Blizzard's early experimentation with different game genres before finding their niche in strategy and action RPGs.

Crixa (Mid-1990s)

Developed by Qualia Games and set to be published by Blizzard, Crixa was a top-down 2D space shooter featuring 3D spaceship models. Despite delivering a final prototype to Blizzard, the game was canceled due to concerns about its competitiveness in the 1996 market. The cancellation ultimately led to Qualia's shutdown.

Pax Imperia 2 (1995)

Announced at CES 1995 with a planned holiday release that same year, Pax Imperia 2 was a sequel to the well-received 1992 strategy game. Blizzard partnered with Changeling Studios for the project but ultimately sold the rights to THQ, which released "Pax Imperia: Eminent Domain" in 1997. Blizzard co-founder Allen Adham explained that the game wasn't progressing as hoped and that the company was too small to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.

Denizen (Mid-1990s)

A dungeon-crawler that was shelved due to lack of resources, Denizen represents Blizzard's early exploration of the action RPG genre that would later make them famous with Diablo.

Bloodlines (Mid-1990s)

Perhaps one of the most intriguing canceled concepts, Bloodlines was described as "a space vampire game that didn't resonate with enough staff to justify its existence." This unique concept never moved beyond the conceptual phase.

Raiko (Late 1990s)

Developed by Flextech, Raiko was a Diablo-style game featuring a 3D engine set in ancient Japan. The project was canceled around the time Vivendi acquired Blizzard, representing another lost opportunity in the action RPG space.

Shattered Nations (Mid-1990s)

Inspired by Sid Meier's Civilization, Shattered Nations was a turn-based strategy game that never came to fruition. Lead designer James Phinney couldn't convince Blizzard co-founder Alan Adham that a turn-based approach was worth pursuing, especially as the company was moving toward real-time gameplay with Diablo.

Star Wars Game (1995)

In a fascinating what-if scenario, Blizzard briefly worked on a licensed Star Wars strategy game in 1995. While the project never progressed beyond concept art of AT-ATs and internal discussions, these conversations reportedly sparked the creative flame that would eventually become StarCraft.

The Late 1990s: Growing Pains and Bold Experiments

Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans (Late 1990s)

Perhaps Blizzard's most famous canceled game from this era, Lord of the Clans was a graphic adventure game following the story of Thrall, a character who would later become central to Warcraft lore. Featuring point-and-click gameplay inspired by LucasArts' Monkey Island, the game was in development for 18 months before being canceled due to struggles with puzzle design and art style. The cancellation reportedly cost Blizzard hundreds of thousands of dollars, though Thrall's story would eventually be told through novels and the 2016 Warcraft movie.

Nomad (1998-2002)

Nomad was in development at Blizzard starting around 1998, and is afforded its own chapter in Schreier's book. Nomad was a squad-based, sci-fi strategy game based loosely off Warhammer 40,000 tabletop spin-off Necromunda. The project was headed up by Pat Wyatt and Duane Stinnett, but Stinnett struggled to convey to Blizzard leaders what, exactly, Nomad was supposed to be. But while Nomad was being tinkered with to the frustration of those working on it, many developers at Blizzard were obsessed with EverQuest, to the point where it seemed everyone was talking about trying to make their own version of it. Eventually, the obsession grew so great that Nomad team leaders voted to pivot their project into an EverQuest-like. Thus Nomad died, and Blizzard set to work on what would become World of Warcraft.

The 2000s: Ambitious Projects and Industry Shifts

Project X/Starblo (Early 2000s)

Following the release of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, half of the development team began work on "Project X," an unfocused concept that at various times involved "kung-fu fighting, pirates, then team-based superhero strategy." Eventually, the team settled on "Starblo"—a sci-fi take on Diablo set in space, with players traveling between planets, collecting guns, and battling aliens. Starblo was canceled in 2003 during a major upheaval at Blizzard North that saw several key figures, including David Brevik and the Schaefer brothers, leave the company.

StarCraft: Ghost (2002-2006)

Unveiled at the 2002 Tokyo Game Show, StarCraft: Ghost remains one of Blizzard's most infamous canceled projects. This third-person shooter would have let players control StarCraft character Nova through stealth operations, utilizing gadgets, psionic abilities, and super speed. The game was co-developed first by Nihilistic Software and later by Swingin' Ape Studios, but after multiple delays and struggles with the single-player campaign, it was ultimately "indefinitely postponed." A playable build did surface online in 2020, giving fans a glimpse of what might have been.

Diablo for GameBoy

A portable version of Diablo was in development for Nintendo's handheld system, though details about this project remain scarce. It represents Blizzard's early interest in expanding their franchises to mobile platforms long before the mobile gaming boom.

The 2010s: New Directions and Massive Investments

Project Titan (2007-2014)

The most ambitious and expensive canceled project in Blizzard's history, Project Titan was envisioned as a rival to World of Warcraft. The game would have featured a unique day/night cycle—during the day, players would engage in social, simulation-style gameplay similar to The Sims or Animal Crossing, while at night they would fight crime as superheroes. After seven years and an estimated $80 million in development costs, Project Titan was canceled. The lessons learned and some assets from this project would eventually be repurposed for Overwatch.

Avalon (2013-2015)

One of the most recently revealed canceled projects, Avalon was essentially a Minecraft-style game set in the Warcraft universe. Described as "incredibly fun to play" by those who experienced it, Avalon was in development for two years under former Diablo 3 game director Jay Wilson and Left 4 Dead creator Mike Booth. The game featured quests and storylines but used Minecraft-style block-building mechanics. Schreier compared it more to Dragon Quest Builders than pure Minecraft.

Hades (Original Diablo IV Concept)

An early version of Diablo IV featured a third-person camera with Arkham-style combat, a darker tone, and even permadeath mechanics. This ambitious take on the franchise was ultimately reworked into the Diablo IV that would eventually be released.

Orbit (Warcraft Pokémon GO)

As mobile gaming exploded in popularity, Blizzard experimented with a Warcraft-themed augmented reality game similar to Pokémon GO. This project would have let players interact with the Warcraft world in real-world locations.

Odyssey (Survival Game)

Capitalizing on the survival game trend, Blizzard developed Odyssey, a survival game that would have likely competed with titles like Rust and Ark: Survival Evolved.

Orion (Mobile RPG)

A mobile RPG featuring asynchronous turns, Orion represented Blizzard's continued interest in the mobile gaming market.

4X StarCraft Game

A strategy game in the style of Sid Meier's Civilization but set in the StarCraft universe, this project would have expanded the franchise into new strategic territory.

Call of Duty RTS

In a surprising crossover, Blizzard considered a real-time strategy game set in the Call of Duty universe. This was pitched by StarCraft 2 production director Tim Morten, who was desperate to create another RTS game.

Helldivers-Style Warcraft Game

Inspired by the co-op shooter Helldivers, this Warcraft project would have combined the franchise's rich lore with modern co-op gameplay mechanics.

Andromeda (God of War-Style Warcraft Game)

A God of War-style action game set in the Warcraft universe, Andromeda would have reimagined the franchise as a character action game similar to Sony's flagship series.

Battlefield-Like StarCraft FPS

A first-person shooter set in the StarCraft universe, this project would have competed with games like Battlefield while bringing Blizzard's sci-fi world to the FPS genre.

World of Warcraft Mobile Game with NetEase

A mobile version of World of Warcraft developed in partnership with Chinese company NetEase, this project would have brought Azeroth to mobile devices.

The Legacy of Canceled Games

Blizzard's extensive graveyard of canceled projects—numbering at least 17 major titles—reveals a company constantly experimenting and pushing boundaries. For every game that reaches players, many more are left on the cutting room floor. As Schreier notes in his book, this isn't unusual for a developer of Blizzard's size; in fact, far more games are canceled than are ever released across the industry.

What makes Blizzard's canceled games particularly fascinating is how they often contained seeds of future successes. The Star Wars game discussions led to StarCraft; Nomad's pivot created World of Warcraft; and Project Titan's failure birthed Overwatch. Even in cancellation, these projects contributed to Blizzard's legacy of innovation and excellence.

As Blizzard moves forward under Microsoft's ownership, questions remain about whether some of these canceled concepts might be revisited. Could a small team finally deliver the long-rumored Warcraft 4? Might we see a return to the RTS genre that built Blizzard's reputation? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: Blizzard's graveyard of dreams will continue to grow as the company experiments with new ideas and pushes the boundaries of interactive entertainment.