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.

Ozzie Mejia

September 27, 2013 5:00 PM

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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.

Ozzie Mejia

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?