B.C. Part 1 : Inside the Prehistoric Xbox Game

[@unclespun]

I worked on BC for 4 years until it was canned. I was the Lead Technical Artist (Dave Dow). On a number of occasions I worked solidly in the office for 36 hours straight (I wasn't the only one), so BC being consigned to the digital dustbin was a bigger deal than me finding myself without a job. It blew me away to watch your video - especially when you show the 2nd build you have - that one was never shown publicly, I had forgotten I had ever made that beach level lol, and now I can remember my original sketches. Big, big thx for making & posting - look forwards to part 2 and hope you don't get too much grief from the corporate powers that be. Have a Spun day :)

[@michaelm9519]

sigh.. what could have been..

[@TheIcefreeze]

You helped create this game? That's amazing!

[@jroxz5689]

@uncle spunt is there any possible way? To revive this game o.O? Or is it to Risky now days, cause of the amount of games like this are available. Like ARK, RUST etc etc and so on. Which imo, don't have anything that B.C ever could of been. Well Maybe ARK, but they fucked it up for me, when they released the TEK shit.

[@pennysheldor7136]

Is there anyway to get this game alive, in the same aesthetic!!

[@vitoriturriaga3468]

It's a damn shame what happened to Lionhead Studios.

[@jasminedoss8000]

BC being cancelled is still one of the biggest gaming letdowns i've ever had. Glad to know i'm not alone.

[@DooBieReBeL]

Far cry primal

[@notengonombre]

Knowing our bud peter mollineux, the game surely was going to get a HUGE downgrade

[@LiamRproductions]

There's something magical about the atmosphere of this game. I love the openness and the tranquility of the setting.

[@MrMario2011]

Insane you grabbed this! I really wish Lionhead went through with this but I believe they said that it was just too ambitious at the time to complete, what a shame. I remember reading about this when I was a kid and was utterly astounded at the fact that you could plant a seed for a tree and years later it would grow to a full sized tree, and the thought of your character actively aging the more you played was insane for the time. Also appreciate the shoutout! Wasn't expecting that just because I was so excited about B.C. but I'm glad to hear the mic is working out well enough!

[@H4mm3rSp4c3]

+MrMario2011 What a shame that Lionhead is what it is today. And Molyneux scammed people on Kickstarter.

[@gillri]

+MrMario2011 your talking about Project Ego (which went on to be Fable) not B.C. with the seed planting turning into a tree and carving your name on a tree only to come back and see it still there years later

[@rj6782]

+MrMario2011 Dude always puts these kind of statements and comes out with half assed games that are cut down to the bone because of it. The dude in charge of that company is a full fletched idiot / scammer on top of it.

[@OctaBech]

+aa aa Ignorant ranting

[@rj6782]

OctaBech It's not ignorant ranting when it's based on facts. That come from my personal experience with his shit. If you even remotely google on this scam artist name you will be surprised

[@LoneWolf3192]

Wow, after all these years of waiting, half my life later, I get to see more BC. I am so happy! But frustrated too that I can't play still lol. I am grateful though that you have shared this with us, thank you. Maybe one day we all can experience it ourselves too, one can dream.

[@todahsalaam8538]

In an alternate timeline we are currently hunting Mammoths in BC. How swel it must be.

[@yancieb]

I remember seeing the trailer for this in one of those demo discs that came with game magazines back in the day and my brother and I were obsessed with this game, we would watch the trailer at least once a day and talked about all the features/mechanics we could see. We tried so hard to figure out what we could about the game but back in early 2000's the internet was still in its infancy and there wasnt the loads and loads of info like there is today. Years went by and we never seen or heard of the game again but every few years we'll bring the game up again and wonder. This could have been a legendary game, the first survival game with survival mechanics way back in early 2000's.

[@DooBieReBeL]

I feel like this is the spiritual predecessor to far cry primal

[@joebanfi8531]

@yancieb me and my friends were the same... absolutely OBSESSED, trying to find everything we could about it. I was GUTTED when it got cancelled.

[@mjarbo]

I wanted this game so bad. Granted this was back during the "In Molyneux we trust" days.

[@goobon]

really neat to see you here!

[@stephencarroll3844]

Thank you so, so, so much for this video. As someone who grew up during the Xbox/PS2/GCN era, I'm amazed. Also, I'm extremely impressed with your channel. I feel like I've uncovered a gold mine.

[@chesswizard31]

This game being cancelled was so bitterly disappointing. I had, back then, discovered the game through an OXM issue and later demo disc. You have my thanks for showing previously completely unseen footage and I can't wait for Part 2. This cancelled game remains the biggest let down for me above other titles. Heck, just very recently I was contemplating contacting one of the guys who worked on it and asking how much I would have to pay to be sent a demo copy!

[@ryaquaza3offical]

I really wasn’t expecting that giganotosaurus looking thing at 11:30 to take off the way it did. Seriously look at the speed of that thing!

[@RetroBacon1]

I’m glad this video landed in my feed. This game is so fascinating

[@Krappadizzle]

As a 14 y/o this was my dream game when it was first shown. Sad it never came to. Thanks for this though, very interesting. I still want to play this game.

[@rayblack2004]

THIS GAME NEEDS TO BE MADE

[@RocketAdriftGames]

Good job getting this footage! It's been a long time since I thought about this game and it's cool to see it in action.

[@sonofriggnarok9320]

The audio of this game is surprisingly crisp. BTW this looks far greater than Halo ever did.

[@Moegames]

love the bump map back lol. I remember how much in awe i was with the original xbox shader & bump mapping capabilities. Thanks for the vid, cool stuff

[@drinkdrankpunkcast8342]

+Moses Lawrence True dat!

[@SavageMontreal]

Thanks man. Great video. I still want this game. Probably my number one "most wanted game that never came out".

[@1810jeff]

I'm surprised that no one tries to either restore the game or make a similar game

[@manospondylus]

1810 Jeff Nowadays there‘s Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, which has a similar premise, but tries to be a lot more realistic (meaning no dinosaurs)

[@ShiggyMiyamo]

I feel like this was an idea a bit ahead of it's time. I'm not ure that the original Xbox could really do it justice. Might have worked as a 360 game, or Xbone/PC game.

[@guve25]

When I was a kid, I used to play this game for Playstation called Tail of The Sun. I had fun on that game, collecting stuff and building a tower towards the sun or something... I didn't finish the game, but it had quite an impact on me. The game kind of kickstarts my fondness of open world game. So when I read the news that this game is coming to the XBOX, I instantly bought an XBOX from grey importer... Crazy price and all. Coming from a Sony camp it's quite the departure for me and back then I have no money left to buy another console. Thankfully Halo and Forza Motorsport gave me quite a fun time despite my big disappointment that this game was canceled. So thanks for the videos, it is exactly what I thought the game would look and play like... Now I'm only waiting for Farcry Primal to sate my prehistoric life dream.

[@aj_carpenter]

I did a couple of weeks work experience at Lionhead in 2002 and played some early builds. I remember when a new build came in that had a swimming implementation that seemed ripped directly from Ecco the Dolphin on Dreamcast. I’m sad this never came to be!

[@DooBieReBeL]

I feel like this is the spiritual predecessor to far cry primal

[@OboroNinjaLeader]

Considering that this was being made for the Original XBOX and was far from finished, I think it is quite beautiful and looks rather interesting to be honest It reminds me a bit of Michel Ancels Wild. A Game that I am very much looking forward to

[@LiamRproductions]

Amazing work.

[@mudsvid]

Amazed of what the original Xbox could do.

[@jka99]

You are a hero and should be rewarded with riches and fame. Thank you so much for this and can't wait for Part 2.

[@jbdub08]

For the life of me, I can't imagine why you would spend that much money and time creating what would have been a truly revolutionary game at the time, only to cancel it when it was so close to being finished. One of the dumbest moves I've ever seen by a video game company. This could have been one of the most successful games Microsoft ever had.

[@PtoPOnline]

Sadly wasnt close to being finished.

[@matt4045]

Seems like a system seller to me. Why on earth would they cancel it. Or at least, why haven't they revisited it?

[@Jaooda]

Great work ! It's really sad it got cancelled, this was very promising, even with the bugs and such. It looks AMAZING, especially for an OG xbox game.

[@fizzyfuzz5878]

Molyneux said in a recent interview that Microsoft made him choose between this and Fable, and he chose the latter. Which when looking at this, B.C. was a much more unique game and I feel it would've made a bigger impact

[@PtoPOnline]

Don't believe Peter on this one :P

[@werdle92]

Xbox 360 graphics on an original Xbox. I remember seeing it on E3 coverage a long time ago and thinking the graphics were so unreal

[@PtoPOnline]

@Samuel Lindh, sorry you seem to have replies off. Unfortunately no. I think that falls under a similar situation as this game really, where it was probably shown behind closed doors or controlled demos rather than in the public, so that makes it much harder to get ahold of. I would love to though.

[@oliverlindh1865]

oh okay thanks for awnsering tho :)

[@BuckFastZombie]

+ptoponline Lionhead Studios, Peter Molenuex? TIf they were involved, I could imagine it being a promise of so many features, and none being delivered. That tends to be something they do regularly. How do you get access to these prototype builds? Are you playing this on an XBOX, or on PC?

[@PtoPOnline]

This is an Xbox build.

[@MarmaladeMaki]

+Bucky Monk It was, there was so much of the promises he later recycled for fable. Check the wiki article. People who call PM out starting with fable really never played Black and White 1/2 or followed BCs announcement and swift cancelation.

[@PtoPOnline]

Fable was being made at the same time as BC by a separate team. It also wasn't swift, as the game lasted through 2004 after being worked on since before the original Xbox launched.

[@ironghostrotation]

Ill never forget the first time i read the article in nintendo power. Then inside game informer did a preview to this day im waiting..... I bought fable because it was the same studio nothing so sad. I swear i read that article 20 million times

[@wallpaper4237]

This is one of those games that everybody wants but nobody makes. God dammit.

[@joshguenther]

Is there any chance you'd release the files you acquired to play the game/demo? This has been my most sought after game to try and get ahold of since it got cancelled.

[@PtoPOnline]

+joshguenther Sorry i can't with this one.

[@joshguenther]

+ptoponline What about a private message telling me who I need to beg then? (Whoever you got it from) If not you can't blame me for asking :(

[@PtoPOnline]

Nope, can't give any sources. Im lucky in that I have a reputation for being trusting, it helps amazing coverage like this happen.

[@oliverlindh1865]

Hey ptoponline have you ever seen anything about the beta of Spore for PC? I really would like to see a prototype of the game witch was shown in 2005 or 2006.

[@Wally17.]

I wish I could play this.

[@paulgregoriou8520]

Wish this was released. Always thought this looked like a unique gaming experience.

[@amigoamiga9254]

I was also excited for this game, and great video thanks for sharing.

[@PACKERMAN2077]

So apparently Horizon Zero Dawn is this with "Cyber-saurs"? lolol I've still got the G4TV behind the scenes molyneux interview on tape for this ....

[@DooBieReBeL]

Also far cry primal

[@MyYoutubeHandIe]

I feel as if this game would be a huge success as an XBLA game for the Xbox one. Reminds me of the long dark and Ark: Survival Evolved.

[@Ezol1]

This is one of the coolest gameconcepts of all time imo. I hope it gets made some day. I really liked Far Cry: Primal though!

[@ironlion45]

I never realized it was so rough in the rural areas outside of Vancouver

[@drinkdrankpunkcast8342]

Remember being super excited about this game. After watching this, I realize it was typical Molyneux over promising and not being able to deliver. :( It's amazing that you were able to find code from a 10 year old unreleased project, though!!!

[@notroMyaJ]

Still thinking about this game in 2021.

[@SillyCrocodile-zg9mz]

Hopefully one day fans will make this and make it look like the classic graphics shown in trailers

[@XxSkullnighTxX]

The game of my dream :(

[@Insill]

Many games from that era look as if they were made in short time with Unity.

[@superdude9856]

i can literally hear the snot in your sinuses nice video tho

[@PtoPOnline]

+Clem Such is life. Can only play with the cards that have been dealt in life. If the worst thing I have going for me is some boogers up my nose, then I would say I've done okay :P

[@johnroach13]

If someone were to try and make this game today with some form of world generator this would be amazing.

[@breakfestbacon7159]

WOOW! Thanks man!!!!!!

[@Michael-ih2hl]

I would love to see the raptors have beef with the Simians

[@RayOid]

Flash to 2021, this game would be a steam pc seller, come on Microsoft please revamp this project, this game was so ambitious, the tech is here and Peter's vision can be brought to life.

[@PtoPOnline]

Peter had little to do with it at the end of the day, but I otherwise agree!

[@XxSkullnighTxX]

I love you for this video of big gameplay i have never see =))))))))

[@xaviewgamer]

It's like ARC Survival Evolved on Xbox, lol

[@zedloof5528]

This needs to be made for Xbox one , ps4, pc or switch

[@MrMykl71]

I still have the demo disc this is on

[@PtoPOnline]

MrMykl71 Only video on the demo though. This stuff is playable

[@creamyj3888]

I wish they would just release whatever they had even if it was buggy. I just want to play it.

[@rileyjaymes8433]

Can they still release this game? i was looking forward to this one back then.

[@EliteSpectre]

when can we see a real prototype?

[@Detailedstream]

Hey can you work bc let cavegirl or caveman swimming exploring around this place?

[@aliakdogan9426]

wow i just came accross this , really sad .

[@PerceptionVsReality333]

Ark Survival kind of looks like this game. It's the closest one can get to B.C.. It was ok until they screwed it up with that super high tech space age garbage.

[@DooBieReBeL]

Not anymore.. far cry primal

[@gillri]

Looks at the same of that T-Rex its like 50 ft tall, they were alot smaller than that

[@PtoPOnline]

+Richard Gill Which is why I said "Larger than life" dinosaurs :) The team admitted that the dinosaurs were far bigger in the game than they were in real life, because why not, it's a game hah

[@gillri]

+ptoponline also alot more upright like the old style films made them out to be

[@invisiblejaguar1]

Looks georgous, very turok evolution look to it I think 🦖

[@rokest5971]

BC, Bully, Timeshift, FourHorsemen, MenInBlack.. all shamely canceled for the beloved original Xbox ##!##

[@HoesCantResistTyreeSneed]

but not all those games were cancelled all together of course like this one

[@jjwarner9419]

So it's kind of like Far Cry: Primal, but with more... primitive graphics.

[@vashshadow]

this is what i want from a pre-history game

[@DooBieReBeL]

Far cry primal

[@gizelbelcoot]

Trailers showed good arcadey combat with decent hit reactions than most melee based games made by western devs even now Any word how much game was complete before it got canned and who canned it ? Execs at top ? MS or Peter himself ?

[@PtoPOnline]

The game was still undergoing major retooling when it was cancelled. Peter wasn't as involved with this as he was other projects.

[@gizelbelcoot]

Would recommend checking Peter's interview , i just came across kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaiQooZ6i7WsnaM

[@DooBieReBeL]

I feel like this is the spiritual predecessor to far cry primal

[@davidherron9151]

So basically an executive realized this game was going to be to good. And if player had the game they would not buy lots of crap because they would just play this

[@judlavault]

this game really could have been special, makes me think of all of the shovel-ware released on the xbox instead of this.

[@NeOCsati]

And then we got Far Cry Primal

[@heavilyarmedgoy]

Could have been amazing but they just pissed it all away.

[@danielr7570]

was there a game similar to this one in the 90's for pc? i kind of remember a game that you were a caveman and fought tigers or you were a monkey and evolve into a human... it was a 3D game; but im not sure! maybe i invented it with my imagination as a kid and remember it as something real or maybe i dreamt it when i was little 😆😅

[@entusiplay]

Ark survival da época

[@rj6782]

still looks better then fallout 4

[@ZomB-0ne]

Maybe 76. But not 4.

[@JazneoGaming]

far cry primal