On the heels of the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, footage of several canceled games for the original controversial reveal of the Switch 2, this news might still disappoint some fans of these franchises looking for new entries in their favorite franchises.

According to VGC, footage of these canceled titles was found on a Nintendo Switch development kit that was sold online, leading to all this leaked footage being revealed at once. A prototype version of a canceled Ridge Racer game is circulating online. There is also leaked footage of an unreleased game from Retro Studios titled "Harmony." Finally, a LEGO Civilization menu screen was found on the development kit as well. None of these potential titles saw the light of day on the Switch, but leaker Jesse Young shared supposed footage of the canceled Ridge Racer in a post on X.

What We Know About The Canceled Games

They Were In Early Development, But Some Were In A Playable State

The footage for the canceled Ridge Racer and the mysterious "Harmony" game are reportedly from 2017, the same year the original Switch launched, but the games were never officially announced. Ridge Racer appears to have been the farthest along, reportedly being developed by Bandai Namco Studios Singapore on Unreal Engine 4. "Harmony" was to feature a fairy character from a third-person perspective that could transform into other characters and solve puzzles. The game was being developed by Retro Studios, which took over the development of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in 2019.

There is no footage of the alleged LEGO Civilization game, with reports from people with access to this Switch development kit saying that the game immediately crashes when attempting to boot it up, though the main menu was found. Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is coming as a Switch 2 launch title, so it's possible the development of this Lego version of the game was stopped to focus on bringing the main series to Switch 2.

Our Take: These Canceled Games Could Have Been Great On Switch

More Games Is Hardly Ever A Bad Thing

These canceled games would have fit perfectly on the Switch. Ridge Racer has not seen a mainline entry since Ridge Racer Unbounded in 2012, and it didn't get a release on the Switch, meaning Nintendo fans have been deprived of a Ridge Racer title for a long time. Meanwhile, Sid Meier's Civilization 6 came to the Switch in 2018, so a LEGO version might have had a bigger appeal for the Switch audience, given the hardware's limitations.

While the cancelation of these games is sure to disappoint some fans, there is a chance that a new entry for Ridge Racer is possible for the Switch 2, especially with the original Ridge Racer getting an Arcade Archives release on Switch 2. On the Civ side, Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is coming to Switch 2. But, more available games are hardly ever a bad thing (if ever), so the cancelation of these Nintendo Switch games is still a bummer.

Source: VGC, Jesse Young/X