In the world of video game development, sometimes the best stories are about the games that never came to be. One such instance comes from Tim Cain’s latest video about an RPG he wanted to make, but never did.
On his YouTube channel, the Fallout co-creator discussed a proposal for a game called Time Walker.
Written up alongside Jason Anderson in 2001, Time Walker was a first-person RPG where you would play as a “temporal agent”. As this agent, you would be tasked with completing missions and traveling through time to “make sure certain events take place that will assure his own reality’s existence.” Should the player’s reality become less likely, they would be given better weapons to use to help their efforts. Should they fail, however, they will “cease to exist”.
Cain then continues to explain some of the feature ideas for Time Walker. That’s where the big revelation of the game comes.
“One, visit 15 different time periods; two, meet interesting historical figures; three, kill them,” he said, followed by a slight chuckle.
He then went on to explain some of the mission examples, such as the assassination of a key historical figure or a rescue effort for someone important to the timeline. One specific example used was the idea of assassinating Pharaoh Tutankhamen before he reached adulthood. Another mission example was giving a Barbie doll to a girl for her eighth birthday.
Cain said that Time Walker was discussed for release on the Xbox and that they even discussed multiplayer features, though he doesn’t remember those specific talks.
Ultimately, Time Walker was never developed, and “nothing ever went anywhere” with it. Still, it’s always interesting to hear about the game ideas that don’t come to fruition.
What do you think of an idea like Time Walker? Do you think it’s a game that could be made today? Leave your thoughts down in the comments and in the official Insider Gaming Discord.
In other news, read about the NFL 2K game no longer being in development. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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