Mafia II's six-year development began in 2003, stretching across two console generations. A major hurdle was the difficult switch to new hardware and ongoing issues with the game's engine. The final product was divisive, praised for its story but criticized for its linear and underwhelming open world. | © 2K Czech
Metroid Prime 4 faced a massive setback when Nintendo completely scrapped the original development work because it failed to meet their quality standards. The project was restarted from scratch and handed back to the original developers, Retro Studios. This decision essentially reset the clock, adding many years to its development to ensure the final product would live up to the series' legendary reputation. | © Nintendo
Cyberpunk 2077 was trapped by its own enormous ambition and a difficult shift to a brand-new engine. The team also struggled with the complex task of developing the game for two console generations at once. Despite multiple delays, the game still launched in a notoriously buggy state, proving that even years of development were not enough to meet its own sky-high promises. | © CD Projekt
Dead Island 2 endured a notoriously messy development cycle, being passed between four different studios over nearly a decade. Each time the project changed hands, the vision and code were reworked, essentially restarting the game from scratch multiple times. The publisher decided this painful process was better than releasing a game that could have killed the franchise, leading to its eventual release in 2023. | © Dambuster Studios
StarCraft II had a notoriously long development cycle, taking seven years after work began in 2003. Blizzard faced significant hurdles, with the game only being a third complete five years in, and the initial 2010 release even shipped without the Zerg and Protoss campaigns. Despite these setbacks and missed beta windows, the final product managed to deliver a satisfying sequel to the legendary original. | © Blizzard Entertainment
Alan Wake 2 spent over a decade in the making because Remedy Entertainment was busy with other titles like Control and Quantum Break. The studio waited until they had the resources and a compelling new horror direction to justify a true sequel. This patience paid off, allowing them to build a much larger and more complex game than the original. | © Remedy Entertainment
Final Fantasy XV began development in 2006 as a spin-off titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The project completely transformed into a mainline title, forcing the team to rebuild the game for a new generation of hardware. This drastic shift in scope, along with a change in directors and major story rewrites, stretched its development into a decade-long saga. | © Square Enix
Too Human's path to release was a bizarre decade-long journey, bouncing from the PlayStation to the Nintendo GameCube before finally landing on the Xbox 360. This constant shifting between consoles and an ambition to launch a trilogy stretched its development to the breaking point. It finally launched in 2008 to a mediocre reception, its planned sequels were scrapped, and its developer ultimately went bankrupt. | © Silicon Knights
The development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 became a brutal marathon of catastrophic setbacks. The project was first announced in 2010, then cancelled and rebooted years later. The team then faced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, forcing a studio relocation and pushing development through war conditions, which led to multiple delays for the long-awaited title. | © GSC Game World
The Last Guardian's development became a legendary saga of delays after its stunning E3 2009 reveal. It was initially planned for the PlayStation 3, but significant hardware challenges forced the team to restart development for the PlayStation 4. After years of silence that led many to believe it was vaporware, it finally arrived in 2016, delivering a beautiful yet technically flawed experience. | © Team Ico
Team Fortress 2 is Valve's most famously delayed game that actually saw a release. After its 1998 announcement, it spent years in development hell, completely transforming from a realistic shooter into the iconic cartoon-style game we know today. This drastic reinvention was kept secret for years, but the final product proved to be worth the wait, becoming a massively popular and enduring title. | © Valve
The original Prey had a famously troubled journey, first being conceived by 3D Realms back in 1995. After numerous false starts and a complete reboot, the game finally launched in 2006 under Human Head Studios. Plans for a direct sequel were ultimately scrapped when Bethesda acquired the rights, leading to the unrelated 2017 game of the same name. | © Arkane Studios
Grand Theft Auto VI has been in development for over a decade due to its incredibly ambitious scale and complex design. Building a massive, high-fidelity world for modern consoles is a huge technical undertaking that can't be rushed. Rockstar is using this extended time to polish every detail, ensuring the final product meets the immense hype, leading to more than one delay. | © Rockstar Games
While Diablo III was announced in 2008, its development had actually begun back in 2001. The team felt immense pressure to live up to Diablo II's legendary status, which heavily impacted their decisions and stretched the process out for over a decade. Its launch was also plagued by network errors and a controversial Auction House, though the Reaper of Souls expansion later managed to salvage its reputation. | © Blizzard Entertainment
Duke Nukem Forever holds the dubious honor of taking a staggering 15 years to complete. Its development was a marathon of turmoil, moving from 3D Realms to Gearbox Software after the original studio downsized. When it finally launched in 2011, the game felt like a relic from a different era and was met with widespread disappointment. | © 3D Realms
Some video games are worth the wait, becoming timeless classics after years in development. Others, however, become cautionary tales of ambition, mismanagement, and technical nightmares. This is a look at the titles that spent an eternity in the oven.
