Chris Oberth, a programmer who worked on video games from the late 1970s through the PlayStation 2 era, sadly passed away in 2012. Now, a game he never finished, called Xcavator 2025, is finally being released – on the original console it was meant for, the NES.
The Video Game History Foundation recently discovered the original source code for the unreleased game Xcavator 2025, with the blessing of the late developer’s family. Created by Incredible Technologies – the team known for arcade hits like Golden Tee Golf and Big Buck Hunter – the game was turned down by publishers in 1991 and has remained lost until now.
To complete the game, VGHF collaborated with Mega Cat Studios. They used what was left of the original creator’s plans to stay true to his initial idea. To do this, Mega Cat Studios’ team only worked with tools and technology that would have been available back then. While a separate trailer for Xcavator 2025 isn’t out yet, you can see the first gameplay footage during the Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition, starting at 1 hour, 43 minutes, and 31 seconds in this video.
iam8bit is releasing a physical copy of Xcavator 2025 on a real NES cartridge. You can preorder it now for $100. The game comes in a classic, retro-style package and includes a 14-page manual with details about the game and its creator, Oberth. What’s really great is that all the money earned from this release will be donated to the Video Game History Foundation, a non-profit organization working to save video game history.
The VGHF has a history of bringing back forgotten games by Oberth. Back in 2020, they released a restored version of Oberth’s Days of Thunder for the NES, based on the Tom Cruise movie. This was a different version than the Days of Thunder game originally released on NES, PC, and Amiga. That limited release sold out fast, and we expect Xcavator 2025 to be just as popular.
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2025-12-11 13:41