Even though Marvel superhero Daredevil enjoys a lot of popularity right now (thanks to Netflix's TV adaptation, no thanks to the movie starring Ben Affleck) there were plans to adapt the comic book character—by way of said Ben Affleck starrer—into its own video game a long time ago.
YouTube video game channel Unseen 64 delves into the history of the failed "Daredevil" video game adaptation in its latest release from its "Did You Know" series. They reveal that "Daredevil" for the Playstation 2 was supposed to be a third-person, open-world sandbox game not unlike some of the "Spider-Man" games on that generation, or the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise after "Grand Theft Auto III."
A more modern comparison would be Rocksteady Studio's "Batman: Arkham" franchise, and now we really wonder how fun a similar Daredevil title would have fared.
Unseen 64 reveals a bizarre story, according to Polygon, of how publisher Sony wanted developer 5000ft, Inc. to borrow gameplay elements from "Tony Hawk Pro Skater" and have Daredevil be able to grind on wires as in the skateboarding games. (With what, however, is not made clear.)
The video also tells of a comparison made by Activision, publishers of the "Spider-Man" video games, between this game and theirs as Daredevil's city-swinging mechanics made more sense than Spider-Man's, who would shoot his webbing into nothing in particular (but still be able to swing around).
The failed "Daredevil" video game is merely a cautionary tale of how small studios would fare terribly when going up against bigger game and hardware companies, and how those two elements would end up being a terrible mix for any project. Had it seen the light of day, it would have been a comic book adaptation somewhat ahead of its time (as the "Batman" series could attest).
With the success of "Daredevil" on Netflix, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to revisit, especially when better adaptations have set new precedents on what superheroes could do on consoles.
