This is Vegas game was created to be the ultimate rival of the revered Grand Theft Auto (GTA), capturing the casino games, bright lights, high-end clubs, bars, and freedom that define Las Vegas.
The video game was set to combine the escapist qualities of GTA with the rich adventures of Sin City on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
The idea was welcomed, and millions invested in it. However, the project was crushed and canceled at the last moment. So, what happened?
Today’s casino news covers the development and setbacks that led to the shutdown of the This is Vegas game.
This Is Vegas Game: What Could Have Been
The American video game company Midway Game reportedly pitched the This Is Vegas game in 2005. It would be an open-world crime adventure set in Las Vegas. The development studio, Surreal Software, acquired by Midway Games a year before, made several attempts to convince the guys high up in the gaming industry about this game to no avail.
Then, the idea of making it a creative sandbox thriller game came up. The This Is Vegas game would be set against the background of Vegas bars, clubs, casinos, and hotels. It would combine GTA’s ingredients with Saints Row’s witty tones, featuring four key elements: gambling, partying, fighting, and racing.
According to the game’s design, players could create their empire and play various casino games online, including blackjack, poker, and roulette. The game would allow a player to cheat at cards and dance with the ladies. The character can be controlled to beat up the cocky guys, steal any car, even from the mafias, and beat up if they retaliate.
Did all of these mind-blowing features convince the gaming officials? Yes.
The game was accepted, and with all hands on deck, Surreal Software began work on the This Is Vegas game in 2006. They used the Unreal Engine 3 (UE3) to support the game’s structure, though it lacked some technicality to support such an open-world game.
As work progressed, some technical difficulties surfaced, slowing it down. After a long development period, Midway released the game’s debut trailer in February 2008 and announced that the game would be released on PS3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows within the year. However, the project was facing several challenges behind the scenes.
From Midway Games to Warner Bros
Besides the technical issues, Midway was battling a financial downturn and team crisis. The developers couldn’t agree on how the game would be portrayed. Some believed the joyful atmosphere of some places is too contrary to the violence displayed elsewhere in the game, among several conflicting opinions. There is also the aspect of the excessive demands, including tight deadlines, which Midway placed on the team.
All these internal conflicts weighed down on the project. The release of the This Is Vegas game was then delayed until 2009, but this didn’t rectify the situation at hand.
From 2005 to 2008, Midway lost over $258 million. Billionaire Sumner Redstone, the This Is Vegas game’s primary stakeholder, forfeited a significant part of his net worth. Therefore, he could no longer invest in the game and had to sell all his shares.
At this point, the company knew creating a GTA rival was impossible as it couldn’t bear the cost. Midway became bankrupt and was acquired by Warner Bros in 2009.
Warner Bros, the likely savior of the This Is Vegas game, immediately invested $49 million in the project. The game moved forward: the voice-overs, the soundtrack, the action scenes, and several other things were worked on and implemented.
$60 Million Downfall
Warner Bros continued incurring many expenses trying to redeem the video game. At some point, they had to lay off their staff, and so on. The trend continued for months into the third quarter of 2010. When the future no longer looked good for the This Is Vegas game, the company had to make a quick decision.
Warner Bros couldn’t afford to go down with the game. So here came the dreaded announcement. In August 2010, after Midway and Warner Bros had spent an estimated $60 million on the project, the company canceled the game and completely shut down the project.
Final Thoughts
Creating a new product is never easy, especially in the video and casino gaming industries. If you are not careful, it will end up being canceled. Many slots and poker variants have sprung up and died as fast as they rose. Nevertheless, despite the cancellation of This Is Vegas, it has inspired several other games like Watch Dogs 2.
Stay up-to-date with real-time news by following our social media channels.
