Scrapped Daredevil PS2 game resurfaces after 20 years

Two decades after the game’s cancellation, a prototype of Daredevil: The Man Without Fear was shared by an anonymous developer on the project.

Lost media enthusiasts and Marvel fans rejoice. While once a piece of retro gaming history entirely lost to the annals of time, there is now not only footage of the canceled Daredevil game on PlayStation 2 but a legitimate prototype that you can download and play yourself.

A developer from 5,000 Ft. Studios going by the name SolidSnake11 shared the build to Hidden Palace, a retro game preservation site. The third-person beat ’em-up adventure was to be published by Encore and be playable on PS2, PC, and Xbox.

Canceled Daredevil game prototype emerges

Slated for a 2003 release, development on Daredevil: The Man Without Fear saw some considerable progress with an established story, environments, and gameplay systems.

However, after a delayed release date, the game was ultimately canceled. This was reportedly due to a combination of conflicts among its development team and denied approval from Marvel.

According to a sales pitch archived from the 5,000 Ft. Studios site, the finished game was to include elements such as “Cool Hell’s Kitchen scenery and backgrounds based on original Daredevil comic book art. […] Classic Daredevil comic book characters including Elektra, Bullseye, Kingpin, the Hand and many others. […] Unique weapons, including radar sense, the billy club and grappling hook.”

A playable PC version of the Daredevil: The Man Without Fear prototype is now available to download. Alternatively, you can check out some gameplay footage in the YouTube video below.

While this foray into the world of gaming was ill-fated, Daredevil could get a chance at redemption. A recently discovered Easter egg from Marvel’s Spiderman 2 along with hints from the game’s Creative Director suggest that Matt Murdock could make an appearance in an upcoming Spiderman 2 DLC.