Former Namco developer reveals the Snake Plissken game that never was

A former Namco employee has revealed an old trailer for a game based on John Carpenter's Escape franchise. Sadly, this Snake Plissken title never came to be, but it's fun to watch this trailer and wonder what might have been.

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Fun fact: Metal Gear Solid frontman Soild Snake was originally based on Kurt Russell's character from John Carpenter's Escape franchise. Long-time MGS fans were eager to point this out during our discussion of the upcoming Phantom Pain. But as it turns out, according to a former Namco developer, Snake Plissken was originally set to star in a video game of his own.

The video below (via Kotaku) shows off an early trailer put out by Namco for a game called Snake Plissken's Escape, featuring Kurt Russell as the title character and a script approved by franchise architects, Russell, Carpenter, and the late Debra Hill. The game offered players a choice between stealth play and full-on action, taking place in an expansive open world.

Sadly, though it promised a 2005 AD release date, Snake Plissken's Escape never saw the light of day. But take solace in knowing that Plissken's spirit lives on through another Snake.

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

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  • reply
    September 27, 2013 5:00 PM

    Ozzie Mejia posted a new article, Former Namco developer reveals the Snake Plissken game that never was.

    A former Namco employee has revealed an old trailer for a game based on John Carpenter's Escape franchise. Sadly, this Snake Plissken title never came to be, but it's fun to watch this trailer and wonder what might have been.

    • reply
      September 27, 2013 5:27 PM

      damn it, looks like it could of been good. I would of bought it just for the inevitable one liners it would have.

    • reply
      September 27, 2013 5:32 PM

      this is the most disappointing news i've gotten all day.

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      September 27, 2013 7:13 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 27, 2013 7:19 PM

      This couldn't have been worse than Escape from L.A.. Too bad it was died off. :/

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        September 28, 2013 5:09 AM

        What?! Escape from L.A. is the greatest film ever made! I saw this trailer last night and ended up watching it today, and it's just as good now as when it came out.

        The first film was great but the second was on an entirely different level, and the sound track was incredible! I had it on CD when the film came out, but stupidly never kept it :(

        Why don't they make good films any more?

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          September 29, 2013 2:17 PM

          Escape from New York is the far superior film.

          There was a time when Carpenter was just churning out classics (They Live, The Thing, Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China) and then... something went horribly wrong (Escape from L.A, Ghosts of Mars).

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          September 30, 2013 6:23 AM

          What in the fucking fuck. The different level you speak of is the level of crap.

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          September 30, 2013 2:30 PM

          the award for best troll of the year goes toooooo.....

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        September 28, 2013 5:46 PM

        Something is very wrong with you.

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      September 28, 2013 6:15 AM

      0unce, wh0a!!!

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      September 28, 2013 3:01 PM

      a real splinter cell vibe going on. I wonder what the whole 146 years in the future part was about.

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