Game Buoy Podcast Episode 186 – I Want the One I Can’t Have: Game Buoy Remake Project Episode 11

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Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the GAMEBUOY.ORG video game podcast – your port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, November 9, 2025, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy take a look at more recent and recently discovered instances of lost media and cut content in games!

This episode is part of the Game Buoy Remake Project, a series of themed episodes revisiting previously discussed topics. This week, the Podcast Pirates follow up on Game Buoy Podcast Episode 52 – The Never-Played Symphonies, originally published on May 9, 2014.

HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME

• The UK House of Commons had a discussion on video game consumer protections and games preservation.
• 10 millions Switch 2 consoles have been sold since launch.
• A free content update and Switch 2 edition are coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons on January 15, 2026.
• The US Patent and Trademark office is re-examining its previously granted Pokemon patent.
• Halo Infinite’s upcoming update will be its last one.
• New Worlds, the MMO from Amazon Game Studios, is heading into maintenance mode.
• Grand Theft Auto 6 has been delayed until November 19, 2026; on a possibly related note, Rockstar has fired employees due to discussing and distributing confidential information on a public form, but the IWGB has accused them of union busting, as the employees were simply talking to labor organizers on a private Discord.
• Square Enix has announced layoffs as part of restructuring in the US and Europe; on a possibly related note, the company wants generative AI to do 70% of its QA and debugging by the end of 2027.
• Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has been indefinitely delayed.
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Dimension DLC launch on December 10 for $30.

RELEASE UPDATES

• One Piece Pirate Warriors 4’s Switch 2, Xbox Series, and PS5 versions release on November 21 alongside the Egghead Island DLC pack.
• The Switch 2 edition of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds launches on December 4.
• Hitman: Absolution launches on Switch on November 13.
• UNBEATABLE has been delayed to December 9.
• The Namco Legendary Pack DLC is coming to Atari 50: The Anniversary celebration on November 13 and includes the infamously bad Atari Pac-Man port.
• Tokyo Wars is now available for Arcade Archives (PS4/Switch) and Arcade Archives 2 (PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2).
• The Dokapon 3-2-1 Super Collection launches for Switch on January 29, 2026 in Japan.
• Raiden Fighters Remix Collection is coming to the west on February 26, 2026.

CULTURE CLUB

• Former members of the Halo 2 have spoken out against the Flood being used in anti-immigrant propaganda; meanwhile, the government has no intention to stop using video game memes.
• The Wachowskis once asked Hideo Kojima to make a Matrix video game, but he The studio behind the Sonic Prime animated series is reportedly working on a Crash Bandicoot animated series for Netflix.
• Edia is porting Battle Arena Toshinden 1, 2, and 3 to modern consoles.
• Nintendo does not intend to raise the price of the Switch 2 at this time,
• Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that two versions of Pokemon were created in an attempt to outsell Mario games.
• More Marvel games are reportedly on the way from Insomniac.
• The Nintendo Store app is now available for iOS and Android. 
• The Playstation Portal now supports cloud streaming.
• Jonathan Bailey, also known as Final Fantasy XIV’s G’raha Tia, is People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2025.

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

• The Fall Guys collaboration has returned to Final Fantasy XIV until November 27.
• Shantae 7 has been announced.
• The Resident Evil Generation Set, containing Resident Evil 7 Gold, Resident Evil 8 Gold, and Resident Evil 9, is available for preorder for Switch 2 for $90.
• A demo for Radiou Remastered is now available.
• Fighting EX Layer is available for under $1 on PS4 and PC.
• Cho Aniki Collection is coming to PC via Steam.
• Warhammer Survivors, an officially licensed Vampire Survivors game, is coming in 2026.

SO CONTROVERSIAL

• A new premium currency is being introduced for select housing items for World of Warcraft.
•  The Game Awards has deleted all references to its Future Class program and has discontinued the initiative.
• Overwatch 2 story content was released in a YouTube audio drama.
• Fortnite Sidekicks can only be customized once, requiring players to purchase a Sidekick again if you want a different version.

RUMOR HAS IT

• PS6 and the next-gen Xbox are apparently due to come out in 2027.
• The Fortnite Simpsons mini-season has been leaked.
• Xbox Series dev kits now apparently cost $2000 instead of $1500.
• A remake for Resident Evil 0 is apparently in development.

DISCUSSION TOPIC

This week, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy take a look at more recent and recently discovered instances of lost media and cut content in games! As part of the Game Buoy Remake Project initiative, they follow up on Game Buoy Podcast Episode 52 – The Never-Played Symphonies, originally published on May 9, 2014. Back in 2014, the Podcast Pirates talked about well-known instances of unreleased games, including ones that would later see the light of day with official releases such as Star Fox 2. In this week’s episode, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy examine more recent and recently discovered examples through the lens of cut content, lost media, and how live service games can become lost media when content is removed or the games are shut down altogether.

Works Cited:

• The Pokémon Leaks Reveal That We Almost Had A Ninth Eevee Evolution (Kotaku)
• The Pokémon Leak Has Revealed A Scrapped Form Of One Of Its Most Controversial Monsters (Kotaku)
• Pokémon Fans Are Latching Onto Leaked Concept Art Of A Starter That Never Was (Kotaku)
• One Unused Pokémon Concept Was Just A Gun (Kotaku)
• The Kingdom Hearts Game That NEVER RELEASED – Birth By Sleep 2 (YouTube)
• New RB1 lost content found (Reddit)
• And keep going with more lost RB1 content found (Reddit)
• Harmonix’s tour of Pearl Jam and Japan games, music licensing and more Rock Band history (Polygon)
• KINGDOM HEARTS 3 ReMind DLC – Secret Ending (YouTube)
• Full list of MGSV’s Cut Content…. The ultimate list of all (Reddit)
• [Spoilers] So the Metal Gear Wiki has a massive chunk of story that I do not recognize at all concerning events after the end of The Phantom Pain, and I’m really confused. (Reddit)
• Konami says MGS5’s ending isn’t missing, so everyone can calm down about it (Polygon)
• Dead Sun (PS4, cancelled) / Legacy of Kain: Nosgoth (PC, upcoming) (NeoGAF)
• The 10 Cancelled Legacy of Kains (Mama Robotnik Research Thread) (NeoGAF)
• Game Buoy Podcast Episode 179 – Under Appreciated Gems, Again!: Game Buoy Remake Project Episode 6 (Game Buoy)
• All The Xbox Games Canceled And Studios Closed In Microsoft’s Latest Mass Layoffs (GameSpot)
• The Importance of Kingdom Hearts Missing Link & Its Premise (YouTube)

Additional Resources:

• The Cutting Room Floor 
• Unseen64

WHAT’S UP

Captain Spike has been playing Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Fortnite, and Marvel Rivals. Along with these games, First Mate Slaggy McWaggy has also been playing Final Fantasy XIV, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the Kirby Air Ride Global Test Ride.

SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Hello, folks! This week we’re talking about cancelled/cut games and content that’ve held on to our interest. Do you have any?

EXITLUDE

SHOUT OUTS – “FRIENDS OF BUOY”

• Orange Lounge Radio, where every gamer has a voice
• Aftermath, an independent, worker-owned website about video games, other media and internet culture
• Game Mechanics, where TTRPG designers “kick tires and run diagnostics on tabletop experiences”
• Walloping Websnappers! A Spider-Man Podcast, a dive into every Spider-Man cartoon ever made
• The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly internet radio show and podcast discussing the latest news in gaming as well as sometimes reminiscing about gaming’s history
• Video Game Realness, a dose of gaming chit chat among friends
• Nintendo Pow Block, a dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo
• Standard Issue Computing, retro and modern computer games, hardware, software, and history
• Sasha’s Retrobytes, “bytes” of vintage gaming including magazine scans and photographs
• Defunct Games, your daily source for modern video game reviews, exciting trivia competitions and old school magazine analysis
• Thomas Game Docs, where each video covers “a different aspect of video game history”
• Craig, Slaggy McWaggy’s robot boyfriend a multi-track voice channel recording bot for Discord