Canceled video games are typically shrouded in secrecy, the kind of thing we only learn about via leaks well after the fact. But Dinosaur Polo Club, the indie studio behind the minimalist strategy games Mini Metro and Mini Motorways, has come out and revealed a recently-canceled project in a refreshing bout of transparency.
The game was codenamed Magic School, and it was an attempt for the studio to branch out from the clean, streamlined experiences it has become known for. The problem? As the concept grew in scope, it became clear to the studio that a much bigger team would be needed, which led to them abandoning it.
You can get a sense of what it would’ve been like in the footage above, as well as the concept images in the gallery below. (There’s even more over on Artstation.)
“Ultimately, we simply did not see a path forward for Magic School,” studio CEO Amie Wolken said in a statement. “However, we still wanted to share the amazing work the team had produced over the course of prototyping.”
One silver lining: none of the team working on the game are being let go. Instead, the studio says that the plan is “to redirect their skills to the new projects within their celebrated Mini series.”
While it may be disappointing that Magic School won’t ever launch — it sure sounds cool to me — it’s wonderful to see a studio be so open in such a tight-lipped industry. And for those who worked on the game, it’s a big bonus to be able to actually share the work they did on it, even if there’s no final product for people to play through.
“So much great game development never sees the light of day because studios are often shy about sharing when things don’t go as planned,” added Wolken. “Instead, we are choosing to celebrate what we learned along the way and the incredible work from our team.”