The Daily Star recently reported that EA had Visceral Games’ working on a ‘Jack the Ripper’ game back in 2008, a title that was leaked by Michael Pachter way back in 2010 as PSN/XBLA game. The reports suggests that EA ploughed a stonking $25 million into the project, however they ”pulled it as developers got cold feet and feared they were glorifying one of history’s arguably most evil serial killers”.
Apparently, the player would take on the role of Jack – but with a twist “You would play as The Ripper himself — a real-life serial killer — in a game that would be unthinkably bloody, brutal and controversial. Your victims would be modelled after the actual victims, and you would recreate the real murder scenes. But here’s the catch — in the game, Jack the Ripper was actually a hero, as his victims were vampires in disguise.”
‘Yep, I can’t see any issues with that plot’ said no-one ever.
The report then switches to quoting an article from Polygon, ”At the end, they were 95 percent finished with the game, but EA determined it was less costly to drop it than to market and release it”.
Though peculiarly the reason for the game’s eventual cancellation had nothing to do with having the player carry out horrific historically accurate murders, ”ironically the game was later cancelled not because of its controversial plot but because EA we’re keen on adding multiplayer and the team felt that as the online portion progressed the game lost its soul.”
Source: The Daily Star, Polygon
gernboes
“however they ”pulled it as developers got cold feet and feared they were glorifying one of history’s arguably most evil serial killers”.”
Vs
“ironically the game was later cancelled not because of its controversial plot but because EA we’re keen on adding multiplayer and the team felt that as the online portion progressed the game lost its soul.”
What now?
Tuffcub
Ones from the Star, one from Polygon. Who knows :)