Tons of work went into this video -- we can't even tell you how many devs weren't willing to talk about it. If you want more vids like this, help us out with a like and share. Cheers 👍

It sounds like this "Project X" demo suffered from the same issue a lot of early Wii games did: The developers struggled to find a way to design the game around motion controls, and the game became very simplistic and rudimentary as a result.

I love the idea that everyone at retro was essentially saying they wanted to make shadow of the collosus set in the zelda universe but the leadership was just like: "no the players want whack-a-mole!" It must've been pretty vindicating when Nintendo felt exactly the same way

I love that you guys went from basically a tumblr blog with neat little factoids about Easter eggs in video games to basically full blown journalists. You guys do amazing work, keep it up!

I think this is a good lesson in that a lot of cancelled games are cancelled for a reason even if the premise or concept art is cool

So bizarre to me that they'd have the idea of an epic and unique game from the Shiekah's perspective, only to have it be an odd turn based rpg whack-a-mole thing. Would have thought it'd be an action/stealth type game instead. The shiekah are ninjas after all, so that fit so much better!

I love the idea of the last living male sheika becoming the master sword, and showing how that came to be. It wouldve really strengthened the bond between this supposed ancient tribe and the hero/master sword. It would also give an extra reason why people like Impa are so keen to help the hero, as shes technically helping one of her own. Cool idea!

I love concept art so much. Will never forget the Epic Mickey concept art that blew everyone's minds and gave us an incorrect assumption on what the game would look like.

If I had a nickel for every time Link's Crossbow Training ended up screwing over a promising new Zelda game with a lot of cool concepts and passionate workers, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Seriously, this has to be the saddest cancelled game story I've heard in a long time. No "outside factors" ruining the pitch, just ridiculously stubborn higher ups refusing to move on from waggle-a-wolf. It stings but from Nintendo's perspective, I totally get it. There's no way that would fly at all. It's such a shame because the concept art is so badass and having it be like Shadow of the Colossus would've been amazing.

It's so strange to me that many devs would shy away from talking about it, especially if the statute of limitations on it was out. It's almost like being the new person in town with a local legend and absolutely everyone is either terrified of bringing up or refuse to spread it to others.

it's hilarious that someone at Retro really thought "we need to make a long game with the most dull, repetitive battle system imaginable" was what the Zelda series needed.

Man that concept art is basically the coolest looking shit I've ever seen . And btw, you guys rock, this is truly top tier content

Not that I didn't love your old content... But this is next level! Stellar research and work! I love the direction this channel is going

Wow. Nintendo should hire Sammy for concept art, that was pretty impressive and consistent with the Zelda style.

DYKG went from Wikipedia facts to fill investigative reporting. gaming history is a more rich vibrant place because of it. incredible work guys! my absolute favorite channel on KZfaq

This seems to be one of those occasions when the cancellation was the right call, the artwork and concept was really cool but the gameplay and direction of the game just wasn't clear

I don’t think Retro studios shouldn’t hide away their Zelda project. It’s crazy that Sammy hiding from obscurity cause of his incredible concept art for the game. This is a very incredible discovery you guy’s made for “Did you know gaming”. Can’t wait to see the Heroes of Hyrule episode you guys will show. Hearing Link aged to an old guy got me excited.

When the switch over was announced in regards to this channel I was a bit skeptic, thinking how much could possibly be yet-uncovered that the DYKG team could unearth and make interesting content about. This video completely removes those fears I think-and in fact revitalized my interest in the channel as a whole. Hats off.

With games like Hyrule Warriors coming into existence, I'm hoping we get that Sheik spin-off game some day. Something that really challenges the Zelda format and plays to her Ninja-like traits. Nintendo's become more experimental with their IPs in recent years, so it could definitely happen.

I feel like this is the first time something is called “that they didn’t want you to know about” and it’s actually true

One thing about the Sheik game that I used to wonder about was them saying it takes place "in the bad ending of Ocarina of Time". The Downfall Timeline makes sense, but its existence wasn't confirmed until Hyrule Historia was published in 2011. It was something barely any fans even considered a concept at the time. So how would Retro have known about it? Did they get that info from Nintendo themselves? The concept art for the game mentions a great flood. I think the "bad ending" they were talking about was actually the Adult Timeline with The Wind Waker, and the game was meant to take place between Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. And calling it a "bad ending" was a mistake on Sammy Hall's part, just as calling the male Sheikah "the last male Sheik" was. Also, I believe this game and Skyward Sword both focusing on the origins of the Master Sword was probably a coincidence. If this was pitched to and supervised by SPD3, then no one on the Zelda Team would have likely ever heard about the Sheik game's story ideas. Regardless, this was a great video! Thanks for digging up and sharing so much info on this canceled game. I'm looking forward to hearing about the other game. (Side note, the "Gerudo have children with Hylian men" detail actually isn't new info. Ocarina of Time mentions that within the game itself. But this interview does go into more detail than the game does, like the "kidnapping men" part is new, for example.)

Can’t imagine how heartbreaking it is to work for 3 years on a project with amazing art but you know it’s bound to fail because management is ruining everything .

This is a somewhat sad watch because it's a whole story that was meant to be. Congrats on the video, this mustve taken an immense amount of work

They should have gone with a battle system similar to Okami, using the wiimote to draw/cast spells. If they were planning on having horde battles and big single boss battles, it would make sense to have some spells that do AOE damage and other spells that work as a coup de grâce.

Wow! When I first watched a video of you, years back, it was just about some random facts. But lately you put out videos with sooo unbelievably much research and insight. Just crazy! Keep on going!

This was incredibly interesting to watch. Thanks for doing all this research! (Somebody seriously thought Link's Crossbow Training was the future of video games. Okay.)

7:02 Wow that dedication, even interview the janitor for information!

dykg really just putting out quality upload after quality upload, way better then some of the other content on this website that just goes over pretty well known gaming news.

Sheik and a bunch of other female characters, including Linkle, are all playable characters in Hyrule Warriors. Honestly an under rated gem of a Zelda game. Probably because it was launched on the Wii U.

It’s fantastic to finally get some more clarity on what this project was, and it’s more fascinating a story than I could have imagined! Incredible work rounding up all this information guys!

The sheikah have always been very mysterious in Zelda and I think having a game about them would be petty cool. Even today we still have no idea what happened to them in ocarina of time of what their culture was like

This channel has gotten so good since you started doing all this personal work like interviews and transition. Amazing work gamers. I’ve been a fan ever since the Facebook page!

It's stories like this that makes me glad Nintendo can be a bit heavy handed when it comes to how their IP are presented. A more action focused Zelda game staring Shiek? Awesome! It's a wagglefest because some pencil pusher in charge of Retro but NOT in charge of actual development thinks that's somehow the future? Yeah no thanks. For all the crap nintendo gets about sleeping on some of their IP, THIS is why. They only have so many developers internally in Japan, and the first party stuff outside of NCL doesn't always meet their high standards. Remember this the next time you wanna complain about them not releasing a new F-zero or whatever because they don't know what they can add to the formula. In a different timeline Nintendo could be full of suits that don't care about making fun and unique gameplay and think they can get by on brand recognition alone.

this is why I am subscribed to this channel. instead of spitting out rumours about the artwork you actually investigate and bring bold info. nicely done!

this is an exclusive treasure trove. I'm actually dumbfounded by the absolutely monolithic proportion this channel has grown to over the better part of a decade. 6 or 7 years ago talking to or getting responses from half the people you do (even the ones who don't want to talk) would have been downright unthinkable, a pipe dream. You guys are awesome

Glad I stumbled across this video, I was one of the many folks who ogled at the gorgeous concept art and thought us gamers were missing out on an exciting Zelda by Retro Studios. Glad I know more, in actuality it's not something I would've envisioned myself playing. Thanks, Did You Know Gaming on your reporting.

Great video! Thanks so much to the people who were willing to speak under whatever circumstances they chose!

I always wanted FromSoft (Because of Sekiro) to make an OoT sequel set in the timeline where Link lost. I could see a Sheikah being the protagonist. I don't think it is ever going to happen but a man can dream.

I absolutely adore that this channel has become so much more than just little tidbits of interesting info, which was great in and of itself, into full on investigative journalism into the games industry and it's past as a whole

This kind of stories and the quality of the production is amazing. I definetly want to see more of this.

This video is AMAZING, outclasses nearly all video game journalism out there today. Kudos.

You guys are a shining example of what games journalism should be. Thank you for all your hard work, this was really interesting!

I've always liked retro since their games are almost always fantastic, and I live in Texas. It's awesome knowing that Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country were made just a few hours' away

I was always worried what would happen after all the “Interesting” game facts rsn out and DYKG would maybe have to retire. but ever since this new era and ending up with information never seen before I’ve become more impressed by DYKG than ever, I’m loving the work put into these dives of information. Absolutely fantastic!

It’s crazy to me how long this video has been in development considering he mentioned they’ve been researching it from before the leak. I’ve been really enjoying these thoroughly researched videos!

Given the recent news, I’d say Nintendo finally made that playable Zelda game.

(19:12) That little "Take That!" jab was humorous. XD

Oh! Well, this is a surprise. Especially since DYKG were the people who tipped me off to this game. Ever since the concept art was removed from the internet, I have been trying to scrape whatever I can find from the internet. I'm one of the few reasons that some of it it on unseen64. I'm suprised you have more than I expected! Especially the "Rhinoland" art! I would love to know the methods you used to obtain the artstation copies of the art. Oh! And fun fact! That "Axo" is actually a Zora! At least this is what it is listed in the Artstation.

Been following the channel for years. Seriously YEARS lol y’all definitely do the effort. Good shit, blood~

I’m late commenting but… Wow this is still so wild… Sammy was my concept art teacher in college for a year. I remember him showing me some of the Zelda concept art on the down low (since I have a big shiekah tattoo on my back). I never thought they’d actually see the light of day, much less be posted and then immediately taken down for nda reasons. I hadn’t heard from/about Sammy in over a decade… until this video. Hope he’s okay after all this.

PS: Sweet use of the Steamworld Heist soundtrack around the 16 minute mark. Steam Powered Giraffe rocks!

You can clearly see how Paul has wanted to get this of his chest for a long time!

21:38 we might be closer to that these days. If the latest Metroid game literally turned its protagonist into a Metroid, so is the Zelda franchise capable of having Zelda as the main playable character. 22:21 I've always imagined a game featuring a sheikah would work like the Assignment Ada substory from Resident Evil 4, controlling our character to clear the path for the hero to defeat the main baddie while we work in the background.

I can’t put into words how much I love what you’ve done with this channel and the mind blowing content you produce. As someone who’s watched this channel for years and years, I’m more excited than ever whenever you upload. This content is amazing.

Retelling cool trivia facts was already nice, but now DYKG makes headlines on gaming newsites every time they upload. Amazing work!

Retro has put out nothing but gold, so it's surreal to know how messy it actually was behind the scenes and how bad some of their cancelled games looked.

I think if there were a Zelda spinoff starring her as Sheik, the thing to do would be to set it largely during the 7 year gap between the child and adult portions of Ocarina of Time. Have it start as soon as it would make sense after we see her and Impa fleeing the castle and include her training as a Sheikah and adopting the name Sheik. From there, whatever the actual gameplay was like, the story would be about her activities between the time Ganondorf formally took over Hyrule and when Link emerged from the Temple of Time as an adult, with some synch up going forward such as their meetings outside or near each temple before following her on her continued adventure after leaving Link to go to and deal with each temple. But that's just my opinion.

Love the legit journalism this team is putting out now. I will stay subscribed and keep watching! Keep up the good work!

The artwork showcased here is incredible, I would love to play in that world. Majora's Mask took place in Termina, why couldn't we see Link or Sheik in a different realm, tackling foreign baddies we've never seen before? Hopefully something like this comes to fruition some day.

To state that you guys have up the antee would be quite the understatement, fantastic job!

Sammy's art shows incredible skill and creativity. Zelda or not it'd be fascinating to see in practice if they could have seen it through to something greater. It's a shame that the industry wasn't so palatable for him. I hope he's happy in his current ventures and can still be proud of this work even if he had to take it down. And I hope all of the other artists are doing well too, and hopefully still loving their craft.

The concept art looks so good, the gameplay sounds awful! The classic "the workers don't know anything" move..

Love the ICO music in the background. Gives a whole mistery vibe to the story

There's so much irony Retro dismissing the idea of modelling Project X after Shadow of the Colossus, only to have BoTW drop 9 years later. The concept art is just so fantastic that a Shadow of the Colossus style game with that visual style would be a dream come true but, this video is a good showcase of ambition vs the reality of the industry Your new investigative style content has been great, I can't wait to see what else you dig up

Wow! The level of research and passion for this in incredible! Cheers to all of the people involved in these DYKG videos and congrats for creating such amazing content 👍

I would love to see more of this on researching and evaluating cancelled games with devs (just so I could see what happened with Kirby GCN). I'm actually more disappointed with the reveal of the gameplay description than the fact that it was cancelled, there were some speculation that Nintendo intentionally turned it down because they didn't want something that heavy as ethnic-based genocide in Zelda, much less a spinoff or fearing that Retro would take control of the franchise if the game sold well, fans were clamoring for a mature-themed game.

Oof, the best talent from Retro Studios left. Explains why Retro wasn't Nintendo's first choice to make a Prime 4. Nice write-up DYKG! As for your cliffhanger on Heroes of Hyrule, going to take a guess from the 3 playable characters with item-shop buying/borrowing mechanics and the isometric view was that it was a phone game with puzzle elements combining Toad Trackers and Trine

The devs seemed to make a lot of references to a sinking ship/hitting an iceberg. Combined with the art in the beginning of the ships firing at an island. Makes me wonder if they were hinting at something.

Dykg are the most legendary video game historians on the internet. Thank you so much for bringing us so much otherwise lost content 🙏🏽

Heroes of Hyrule likely became Age of Calamity

22:33 capcom made minish cap too, one of the best entries in the series

This video deserves more attention

Great research guys! Some fascinating stuff here. However I take issue with how you conflate "OoT's bad ending" with HH's Downfall Timeline. I must admit, that would be confusing. However, the developer notes in the video keep referencing the idea of flooded waters. It seems far more likely to me that the "bad ending" here refers to the AT which leads into the Great Flood from WW. The DT, so far as we know, was not even a concept while this game was in production.

I'm really glad to see the path this channel has gone down. Actual investigative journalism, something we really don't have a lot in the gaming space, especially around the history of video games. Really glad you guys didn't just milk the channel as much as you could and let it fade into irrelevance, if it's possible to keep this quality up, you have a prosperous future ahead of you. Kudos to you guys

The amount of effort going into these videos lately is so awesome.

Man I always imagined link being a veteran old man retired and have to take care of his grandchildren a 3 or 4 referencing four sword and triforce heroes Set out in venture while being watch over by their grandpa Link teaching different kind of things throughout adventure whether he gives an equipment or item for them and tips about the those they got from their adventures. Can switch between the siblings or have couch coop features with each of their role.

Absolutely fascinating. Great investigating!

Thank you guys for being so informative about the videogame industry, very good video 👍

Okay, if this gets taken down, that means bits from all of this will be in BoTW 2 (or just Nintendo being Nintendo). Amazing work, DYKG team.

This video was really, really fascinating. Thanks so much for all the hard work that went into investigating and reporting on this!

Man, ex retro are what made Bluepoint, amazing and it's so cool they made Shadows and Demon Souls. This video is a great example of acutal game devolepment. Not everything gets off the ground

This was super well done! I’d love to see a similar video about the boo game that also had concept art from retro

You guys have upped your game amazimg work

I remember when the concept art with Sheik and some Gerudo were revealed and I was sad that we never got that game, the art looked so cooooooooool. Even those other mario boo artworks for a cancelled ds game where one was drawn as Boo jesus on a cross and the hanukkah Boo.

You guys do incredible work!

Wow! Just amazing reporting from you all. It’s really a shame some story concept was wasted on whack-a-mole. I feel bad for the designers who cared to try to make this a great game but no one listened. But hopefully Zelda will be playable in BOTW 2.

4:19 Gannondorf just has a lot of energy, the triforce of power ain't for show

man it's amazing how this video changed my view on that cancelled project, it went from an amazing game we sadly never got to a hot mess we thankfully avoided

11:12 Jrpg DOESNT just mean turn based. they even stated "action based Jrpg" meaning real time combat

You guys are doing incredible work.

Great research and video! Very interesting stuff, keep it up!

Absolutely love these deep dive videos! Keep up the amazing work!

Why can’t company execs get it through their head that when you tell someone to do their job it should mean doing their job to the best of their abilities and not just simply make your vision for a project that you didn’t come up with?

Oh my god, that art looks so, so fucking cool and unique. I love it, it's a huge shame the artist deleted it. I'm still gonna try to find it, maybe through the wayback machine. And bruh, it sucks the game got that treatment... It would've been really cool

Still one of the best channels on KZfaq

I remember coming across this concept art on deviantart a long time ago- there def wasn’t as much as you guys have here but I remember a lot of the character concepts for sheik!!! So cool to see more info on it and I’m super stoked about the heroes of hyrule video!

This is epic. Keep up the great work

Imagine having a Zelda project in your pocket and then just sitting on it while you focus on...remakes. What a wasted opportunity. It's no wonder most the talent chose to pack up and leave.

Absolutely in love with the amount of effort in videos lately. Truly the best timeline to be alive in!

The idea of Miyamoto living in and embracing the Texan life style is such a funny image too me LOL