What I've learned from what happen. Don't change engine mid development, open world and mmo design will burn all your time and money, having an actual idea of a minimum viable product is invaluable.

I'm amazed Sega's still alive after so many, many bad decisions in their long career, like, even Capcom has been on the verge of bankruptcy.

"The [Japanese] Company wanted to broaden it's appeal to western markets" When Matt listed the "Wha Happun staples" in the beginning, this should've been in there.

"You're basically inheriting a mess." Well, I'm gonna be using that quote.

There is no game company quite as baffling as Sega. It's feels like they actively want every IP they own have to be hanging by a thread at all times. I think they just get a thrill out of almost killing their company every so often.

"What *didn't* happen" would be a better title for this one. Jesus, I feel bad for the guys at Secret Level...

I love this series. Such a fascinating look at the history of overambitious goals and unrealistic expectations in the video game industry.

God, hearing that a franchise essentially died due to mismanagement, poor planning and over ambition is bad enough. But to hear the IRON MAN GAME was a factor? That game is terrible! That Golden Axe died for it is just... sad.

17:03. This quote is really enlightening, it makes me sympathize with those guys a lot. Imagine working under those awful 7-days-a-week conditions just to push out a product that everyone will hate, it must be soul crushing. Since the publishers don't give a fuck and the fans hate them for delivering a bad game, the only ones who can truly understand their struggles are their fellow developers. Tough stuff.

The concept of the game sounded really cool and it’s a shame it didn’t come out as intended, I guess you could say Horizon Zero Dawn is the closest thing to what Beast Riders should have been.

I’m loving the chip tune hip hop hits to denote what era we’re watching. 😂

I can't imagine working on a game for so long, going through crunch time that bad, only for all your ideas to be scrapped and the Game ending up failing. *That is some strong deep mental health shit I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy...*

I think the most depressing thing about this series is that studios can work really hard and kill themselves with crunch to make games that aren’t that good and they know aren’t going to be good even after the years they put into it

The talented folks who developed Streets of Rage 4 would be prime candidates for a new Golden Axe entry.

Before this, I never even knew there was Golden Axe game on 7th gen cnosoles.

The Order 1886, X-men: Destiny, Aquaman

What happun is worth the patreon price alone. My favourite KZfaq recurring series.

So much enthusiasm and work has died for nothing in the video games industry... :(

Oh god, my dad helped work on this game...

This is a little depressing, cuz the game actually looks pretty impressive even by today's standards 15 years later...

Yea know. I kinda wish they’d try and reboot some of their series: Golden Axe, NIGHTS, Jet Set Radio, CRAZY TAXI, Virtua fighter. They have so many interesting series...I mean I love Sonic and Yazuka but come on now.

I don't know why this one hasn't been suggested yet, but I don't see Metroid: Other M on the channel yet. I'd love to hear how that whole mess came about with Team Ninja.

The best Golden Axe in recent history is Dragon's Crown

I think Golden Axe could come back as a modestly-budgeted retro game, like Double Dragon Neon or River City Girls. I'd say that Beast Rider has damaged the nostalgia of the brand, but luckily, I don't think most people know this game even exists.

We should get a new Golden Axe in the vein of Streets of Rage 4.

at this point we'd need a Down the Rabbit Hole-type video about sega's many many many many weird/stupid decisions and failed projects

Hey Sega, wanna make some money on Golden Axe, port The Revenge of Death Adder to modern consoles in HD and with online and couch Co-op! And get DotEmu to do Golden Axe 4!

Since Platinum is ramping up a lot of stuff right now, Wha ever Happun to Scalebound?

I'd love to see a "What Happened?" on Postal 3, actually. That thing was trash, good to see Postal 4 is shaping up to be decent again.

I'll be honest, this one almost made me cry. I *loved* Golden Axe 2 on my Genesis, and I loved the first and third games when I finally got a chance to play it. I love the simple yet evocative fantasy setting of these games. I didn't even know Beast Rider *existed* as a game until watching this video. And seeing even a hint of Tyris Flare existing in any medium was actually exciting for me - even as I knew it would end in disaster. I really, really hope that Golden Axe does get a second chance one day - I have extremely fond memories of this franchise, and I would love to see it given the kind of proper loving treatment it deserves.

Matt's just pumping these videos out during these strange stay in doors times. Thanks King!

Can you do a video on Hunt Down the Freeman? I want to know why that terrible fan game happened

Does someone remembers "Primal" a PS2 exclusive that was supposed to be awesome (it was good) but was forgotten? Maybe Matt could talk about it

"You're basically inheriting a mess" - Me, anytime I talk to children.

I remember hearing about this game, but never actually playing it. Guess I didn't miss much. I'd like to see a What Happun? on Ratchet: Deadlocked. I like the game, but I know the shift in aesthetic, tone, and gameplay threw a lot of people off. Plus with the troubled production story, I'm surprised they came up with a solid game within a single year.

1:30 I laughed at the Gangta’s Paradise playing in the background

Best $7.99 I ever spent at the bargain bin. I had a lot of fun with it despite its many, many flaws. The dodge/parry mechanic is pretty neat once you get into it.

Wow, I just watched the official Making-Of of the game - it's like they were talking about a whole different game! Anyway, I bought the game last week (because this video made me curious) and I really like it for what it is!

I would love to see Platinum Games work on a Golden Axe game

01:25 Is that a MIDI version of 'Gangster's Paradise'?

It's not a game or film but could we just get one on Randy Pitchford in general? That saga needs to be documented

The answer to a modern Golden Axe game is so simple, so obvious, it's a wonder it hasn't happened already. Platinum.

I've been writing these subjects for next eps, and I'll keep writing them until they are made... Brutal Legend and Clive Baker's Jericho should get their own episode

You should talk about that odd altered Beast ps2 reboot

8:42 That’s a reference from somewhere, innit? I’ve heard OSW Review use the same reference of slowing it down, slowing it waaaaay down.

we lost everything, this sums all of this tragedy up perfectly, such a shame, I loved how this game looked

It's wild seeing this after the "Golden Axed" prototype came out, and SEGA got flak for calling it buggy and janky, even though it had been made by like 3 people in the span of less than 2 months

This game was actually pretty good. The combo system feels like a less polished, harder Arkham system. Pretty satisfying once you master the different color counter system. Plus the story is pure B-Movie gold.

This one is such a guilty pleasure of mine and I still find myself craving a game similar to what was originally pitched.

What this series has taught me throughout the years if you are aspiring to be in the game dev industry in any form is; - Caffeine or energy drinks are going to be your best friend when it comes to long hours, crunchtime days and weekend projects - Probably a good idea to stock up on migraine and anxiety meds prior to starting work on a new project - You may want to save money, just incase the project gets canceled or higher ups make the call for it to be rushed out the door

Oh yeah, I saw this game being sold on local store. Looked fun-ish in that weird clunk and jank way

MALICE would be perfect. It suffered a notorious development hell and i am sure there is a great story behind it. One well known detail is they wanted gwen stefani to voice the main chararcter

The original vision behind Bioshock Infinite would be a good video idea to do

I suggest Good Bad Flicks video he made on this game. As a companion piece to this one.

You know, it just occurred to me. Why not do a Wha Happun? on Sega itself?

Hey Matt, have you ever heard of a game named Bodycount for the 360 and PS3? It was meant to be a spiritual successor to Black (2005). Might be interesting for a wha happun episode

Wow that 8-bit Gangster’s Paradise really works.

This is a crazy amount of insight and backstory. Great vid!!

I found this game to be okay, and quite enjoyable, actually.

“Let’s all start where the troubles began...1995” Matt, i still regret being born that year, you don’t have to tell me!

Man. The original plan for this sounds awesome. I hope it is revisited some day.

Wait, wait a second. I knew as a factoid that the dwarf from Golden Axe was named Gilius Thunderhead before this video. I honestly, non-jokingly suggested that Gilius Thunderhead had a chance at getting into Smash Bros, or at least thought he'd be a good pick (unique design, maybe the most famous axe-user in gaming, and a classic series), but is the main hero seriously not even named? Is he SERIOUSLY just called "Axe Battler?" I've looked it up. -and yes. Gilius Thunderhead, Tyris Flare, and fucking Ax Battler. Good. Ship it.

Another awesome, amusing, and informative episode Matt. I think Capcom's fighting division would make a great topic for the next Wha Happun? episode. They have been dropping the ball with some of the fighting games they released in the last decade and refusing to revisit their other ip's (like Power Stone and Rival Schools) that made an impact in the 1990's and make new fighting games based on them. Look forward to the next episode.

You can really tell this game was in development for so long when their lead AAA game had a fur bikini warrior this late in the 2000's, when that was slowly being phased out. Oh, those Phase 1 Marvel games hurt my goddamn soul, except for Cap's game, that was... tolerable.

Fight For Life. Atari Jaguar Fighter. WHA HAPPUN MATTHEW?

You should do a What Happened to The World Ends With You While NOT a failure, it is a Sleeper Hit and the IP was basically only kept alive thanks to fans showing Square Enix that there's still an audience for it. Yet they allowed the IP to basically stay dead for 14 years and only recently made the sequel. I think it would be cool if you could research why that is? and why they didn't advertise the IP that much when it debuted in 2008

I look forward to the eventual episodes of Mega man X7 and AC: Unity

As a Golden Axe fan - and fan of beat 'em ups in general - Beast Rider was always one of those games that I thought "MAYBE I'll pick that up when it's in the bargain bin." It just looked like it was Golden Axe in name only. Reminded me more of those cartoon licence overhead action games on the PS2/Gamecube (Teen Titans, TMNT2:Battle Nexus) when I'd watch footage of it. If you are going to bring a beat 'em up to 3D, then just do it like Die Hard Arcade. Otherwise, keep it 2D like Castle Crashers or Dragon's Crown.

New to the channel sir, but what I appreciate is taking about engine/dev/publisher. I used to review JRPGS, and one thing people often forget is that a localizer is not responsible for the original design of the game (especially for budget JRPGs). Again, TY, and keep educating people about the roles different companies have in the process.

Since it was shown a lot in this video, a video on the development of the sonic movie would be great to see since it had a pretty rocky history of development. Love the videos man, keep up the great work!

Dave Halverson gave it a 9/10(whose Sonic review you might recall from the Sonic 2k6 Wha Happen episode). In fact this also inspired his infamous rant about "real game critics"

Dude I LOVE WHA HAPPUN. Every time you upload one I watch it immediately.

I remember as a teen at one of our Laundromat's by my old house. had one of these Golden Ax's, it took about $5 in quarters to beat it lol.

Hunted the demons forge and the digital extremes' star trek are both definitely "wha happen?" material

Goodness that sounds like those people wanted to attempt an MMO without knowing what it was what mad lads :O

Did anybody else see the dude at 8:56 and go "Wait, was that Guts?" and had to rewatch it?

this one has arrived right on time Matt! I played this game for the first time a week ago or so, wanted to see for myself if it's really that bad or people make it out to be. well, it is. such a shame and wasted potential. “Unfortunately, [Golden Axe B.R.] was a bit shit.” - Belinda Heywood, producer at Secret Level at the time. that sums it up pretty well.

Really amazing and over the top narration in this one! Love IT

Every What Happened? video summarized: -Nobody on the development team agreeing on the vision of the project -Deadlines put on by studio heads forcing developers to be overworked -The project becoming a critical and commercial failure due to poor planning -The destruction of the franchise and the eventual dissolution of the company

I don't know with Streets of Rage coming back Golden Axe might have a chance at a revival

For what it's worth, Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown is basically the best Golden Axe game ever made, and Sega even publishes it by way of Atlus.

You are literally the most underrated KZfaqr your videos are so entertaining

With all the blur from the Secret Level's office and the long time it took for Tyris Flare makes you wonder why they were taking it SLOW and AMBITIOUS

loooooool that quote at the end essentially says "THE REAL TREASURE IS THE FRIENDS WE MADE ALONG THE WAY!"

That Crunch reveal was beautiful.

I have only just discovered this series of videos, and the thing that’s really fascinating to me is that the history of loads of these games/studios/etc. and why they failed could actually be pretty easily explained to your parents/grandparents/anyone else without much of a gaming background but with a taste for older movies like this - They are literally just a modern version of the plot of the old film “Singin in the Rain” XD For those who haven’t seen it (and I highly recommend you look it up, it’s actually pretty hilarious and I feel like it’s held up a lot better over time than a lot of movies from the same era - plus, it stars Carrie Fisher’s mom, which is neat), it’s a comedy about a bunch of people at a film studio back in the 20’s making a Silent Movie... but halfway through production, “Talking Pictures” with actual recorded dialogue and soundtracks come out for the first time, and their boss demands that the whole movie has to be *totally* redone in the new format. This is obviously a problem for several reasons - no one can figure out how to use the new sound equipment or get it to sync up with the film, none of the actors actually have the right voices for the characters they’re supposed to be playing (and one of them sounds hilariously awful, which is a major plot point), “Talkies” are so new that nobody quite knows how they’re supposed to work and they have to figure out everything from the ground up, and several of the key actors hate each other and won’t cooperate; this all obviously results in a rushed and horrible product that bombs its first test screening for critics, and they have very limited time to try and fix it before releasing it to the public. *SOUND FAMILIAR?* (Squints loudly at Sonic X-Treme Video) The solution? Remix their swashbuckling action flick into a MUSICAL in an effort to try and save it, and dub over their bad actress’s voice with the voice of another woman with re-cut footage. A classic “move so insane that it just might work”...... which is a tactic which a lot of game studios pressed for time seem to fall back on regularly in these videos, but at the risk of spoilers, IT TENDS TO GO VERY DIFFERENTLY FOR THEM THAN IT DOES IN THE FILM. >.>’ Anyway, this is apropos of absolutely nothing - I just always love media that lets us see exactly what people in different industries have to do to adapt during a time of sudden transition, and that these same problems and patterns have followed us through any kind of creative or inventive endeavor throughout history? It’s just a neat little recurring parallel that makes both the past and the present feel more... Human, I guess. ^w^ Anyway, absolutely LOVE this series, and keep up the good work, man! :D

I love this series. Keep up the fantastic work.

Interesting and often heartbreaking stuff. They did get one thing right--Ax-Battler is still not battling with an axe, it seems! Also, it'd be interesting to see you tackle Raven's Cry at some point, if the idea appeals.

Boy I hope the next time Sega tries resurrecting the Golden Axe series they don't fuck up again in ever more painful and horrible ways..... *nervous laughter as Golden Axed's corpse rapidly sprints towards me like a Payday Cloaker*

I found and bought Dante's Inferno at a flea market one day and lo and behold, Golden Axe Beast Rider was accidentally put there as the second disc... and it's still there, waiting to be played to this day.

"What can the engine do?" "What do you want/need it to do?" "Well what can it do?"

The "Beast Rider" definitely doesn't sound right.

Wow an episode on a game I’ve straight up never heard of, I’m into it

I know I'm not V.I.P... but TWO WORLDS needs its story told. I will not give up!

I HAD NO IDEA

Dave Halverson LOVES this game though!

Just coming from Sega's "New Era" announcement. Guess what's coming back...

Ah yes, the classic case of "make a GTA game with a small fraction of the staff and budget that Rockstar employs."

I mean we are getting some Golden Axe action figures this year. That's... something?

Excellent video man! We need a what happened about brutal legend!