In 2012, programmer Chris Oberth passed away after a career that spanned from the dawn of video games in the late '70s to the PlayStation 2 era. Now, one of Oberth's unfinished games, Xcavator 2025, has been completed and it's slated for a physical release on the console it was originally intended for: the NES.
The Video Game History Foundation--with the permission and support of Oberth's family--found the source code for Xcavator 2025 in Oberth's development archives. It was originally developed by Incredible Technologies Inc., the company behind the Golden Tee Golf and Big Buck Hunter arcade games. However, it was rejected by publishers in 1991, and it was never seen again until now.
To finish the game, the VGHF teamed up with Mega Cat Studios, which was guided by the remaining materials to recapture the spirit of Oberth's original vision. Towards that end, Mega Cat Studios' development team only used the tools and environments that would have been available at the time. A standalone trailer for Xcavator 2025 isn't available yet, but the first footage was screened during the Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition at the 1 hour 43:31 mark below.
The physical release of Xcavator 2025 on a working NES cartridge is being handled by iam8bit. Xcavator 2025 is available for preorder now, and it's going for $100. This game will include an "authentically retro package," as well as a 14-page manual that includes background info on both Oberth and Xcavator 2025. All of the profits from this release will be donated to the Video Game History Foundation, which is an official non-profit organization dedicated to preserving gaming history.
This isn't the first time that the VGHF has resurrected one of Oberth's lost titles. In 2020, the organization released a restored version of Oberth's Days of Thunder NES game, which was based on the 1990 feature film starring Tom Cruise. This was an alternate version that was separate from the Days of Thunder game that was released on the NES, PC, and Amiga. The limited run of Oberth's Days of Thunder sold out quickly, and we wouldn't be shocked if Xcavator 2025 has the same kind of success.
Source
The Video Game History Foundation--with the permission and support of Oberth's family--found the source code for Xcavator 2025 in Oberth's development archives. It was originally developed by Incredible Technologies Inc., the company behind the Golden Tee Golf and Big Buck Hunter arcade games. However, it was rejected by publishers in 1991, and it was never seen again until now.
To finish the game, the VGHF teamed up with Mega Cat Studios, which was guided by the remaining materials to recapture the spirit of Oberth's original vision. Towards that end, Mega Cat Studios' development team only used the tools and environments that would have been available at the time. A standalone trailer for Xcavator 2025 isn't available yet, but the first footage was screened during the Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition at the 1 hour 43:31 mark below.
The physical release of Xcavator 2025 on a working NES cartridge is being handled by iam8bit. Xcavator 2025 is available for preorder now, and it's going for $100. This game will include an "authentically retro package," as well as a 14-page manual that includes background info on both Oberth and Xcavator 2025. All of the profits from this release will be donated to the Video Game History Foundation, which is an official non-profit organization dedicated to preserving gaming history.
This isn't the first time that the VGHF has resurrected one of Oberth's lost titles. In 2020, the organization released a restored version of Oberth's Days of Thunder NES game, which was based on the 1990 feature film starring Tom Cruise. This was an alternate version that was separate from the Days of Thunder game that was released on the NES, PC, and Amiga. The limited run of Oberth's Days of Thunder sold out quickly, and we wouldn't be shocked if Xcavator 2025 has the same kind of success.
Source