Starfield Was ’25 Years in the Making’: 7 Other Games That Vacationed in Development Hell for More Than a Decade

Starfield Was ’25 Years in the Making’: 7 Other Games That Vacationed in Development Hell for More Than a Decade
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Starfield will be released in less than a week. Starfield has a lot of expectations, and fans will be looking to get their money’s worth. Since being announced in 2018, Bethesda has been slowly building a strong fanbase for the game. But Starfield is not a game that was made in a day. It took the creators almost 25 years to plan the games and then put them into pieces.

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But Starfield is not the only game that took so long to make. Several other games took a long time to create. Unlike Starfield, those games did not get such hype. Nonetheless, the creators worked hard to make those video games for the gaming community to enjoy.

1. Duke Nukem Forever

Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever

Many gamers might not know this game, but it was a pretty popular video game series in the 1990s. Duke Nukem has four video games. Duke Nukem Forever is the fourth and last one to release in 2011. Before that, Duke Nukem 3D was released in 1996. Fans might be surprised to know the gap between these two games. It took the creators 15 years to make the next part.

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Duke Nukem is developed by Apogee Software and published by 2K Games. It is a multiplayer, first-person shooter game. Duke Nukem has earned over $1 Billion in revenue. Even though Starfield took 25 years to make, 15 years for a fourth installment is a long time.

Also Read: Starfield PC vs. Xbox Performance Comparison Reveals Major Flaw in Series X and Series S: Real Reason PC Gamers Win This Round

2. Mother 3

Mother 3
Mother 3

Mother 3 is the third and last game of the Mother franchise. It is a role-playing game developed by Ape, HAL Laboratory, and Brownie Brown and published by Nintendo. The first game was released in 1989, and the second game was released in 1994. Mother 3 took 12 years to make. While Mother 2 was released in 1994, Mother 3 was released in 2006. The hiatus remains one of the biggest in the video gaming world.

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The Mother franchise is owned exclusively by Nintendo. It can be played on Game Boy and Wii U. The single-player game was a popular and highly rated game of the mid-2000s.

3. Diablo 3

Diablo 3
Diablo 3

Diablo 3 is the third installment of the Diablo franchise. Just like its predecessors, Diablo 3 is a role-playing, multiplayer game. It is a hack-and-slash game between Demons and Angels. The game is produced and developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Diablo 2 was released in 2000, but Diablo 3 was released in 2012. There is a gap of almost 12 years.

The franchise has made it a habit of putting in several years of work before releasing a new game. Diablo 4 was released in 2023, after 11 years. Starfield can be a big project, but Diablo as a franchise is not far behind.

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4. Too Human

Too Human
Too Human

Too Human is an action role-playing game released in 2008. Gamers can play the game in Single-player mode and Multiplayer mode. Too Human was announced in 1999 and took nine long years to make. It remains one of the few games to take such a long time to produce. The game is not part of any franchise. It was developed by Silicon Knights and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Even after spending years behind the production of the game, it did not prove to be a commercial success.

Also Read: Starfield Pays Tribute to a Fan Who Passed Away Before the Game’s Release

5. The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian
The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian is a third-person, action-adventure, single-player game released in 2016. It was developed by Japan Studio and GenDesign, and it was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The Last Guardian started developing in 2007. After nine years, the developers thought it to be perfect for release. It is a PlayStation-exclusive game. The video game received mixed reviews from the gaming community. Nine years of hard work to receive mixed reviews is not worth it for any game.

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6. Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 is the sequel to Team Fortress Classic. Team Fortress Classic is the remake of the 1996’s Quake, with the Team Fortress mod. The franchise was developed and published by Valve. Team Fortress Classic was released in 1999, and Team Fortress 2 was released in 2007. The sequel had a gap of 8 years. The creators worked very hard for the sequel. Their efforts were not in vain, as Team Fortress 2 was a hit among the gamers. It is a first-person shooter game available in both single-player and multiplayer.

7. Spore

Spore - Games that took long time to make like Starfield
Spore

Spore released in 2008. It was developed by Maxis and Published by Electronic Arts. The game falls under the God game, life simulation, and real-time strategy genres. It is a single-player game. The creators started to make Spore in 2000. Initially, it was named SimEverything. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the game. But eventually, it all died due to creators making numerous changes in the game. After eight long years, it was released in 2008. Even after much less of an experience than promised, Spore was well-received by the critics and bagged several gaming awards.

Also Read: Microsoft Buying Bethesda for $7.5B Pays Off: Xbox Game Pass Selling Like Hot Cakes Thanks to This Starfield Deal

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Priyanko Chakraborty

Written by Priyanko Chakraborty

Articles Published: 645

Priyanko is a Content Writer at FandomWire, and specializes in anime. He is currently pursuing his Master's Degree in Economics. Priyanko has previously worked as a content writing intern. He spends half of his day writing on anime, and the other half watching it.