Multiple Projects Cancelled At TT Games, Including LEGO Marvel And Disney Games

Traveler’s Tales has now reportedly canceled multiple projects in development, according to sources who spoke with Nintendolife. 

One of these projects was known as “Project Marley.” This game would have been a mix of multiple animated Disney IPs into a single LEGO game. This game was in development for at least 4 years before its cancellation and most likely was developed alongside The Skywalker Saga.

Other reported canceled projects included “Project Cosmic,” a LEGO Marvel game that was based on Guardians of the Galaxy. Nintendolife reported that this project was in development for a year and a half before being canceled. 

Another project, known as “Project Rainbow Road” was canceled. This game was reportedly a non-LEGO shooter game that would feature WB IPs such as Rick & Morty, DC Comics, Looney Tunes, and Netflix’s Stranger Things. The project was canceled after the project had shifted developers.

A new LEGO Batman project has also reportedly been shelved for now; a project most likely started due to the popularity of Matt Reeves’s 2022 film The Batman.

Nintendolife also reports that a Mandalorian story DLC for the Skywalker Saga has been in development but is in jeopardy. So far, the only DLC released for The Skywalker Saga has included character skins and other cosmetics. 

All of these projects have reportedly been built using the Unreal Engine, shifting away from using NTT. The Skywalker Saga was the first and last game to use the studio’s proprietary engine. TT Games must have decided that it would be too costly to continue to use NTT than to pay licensing fees to Epic Games, a factor that had led to the decision to develop NTT originally back in 2017.

The projects have been reported to be canceled or shelved in favor of a new LEGO Harry Potter game that would draw from the success of The Skywalker Saga. With Hogwarts Legacy selling over 12 million copies merely weeks after release, TT Games will be looking to replicate this success with a flagship Harry Potter offering. 

TT Games is known for its LEGO-licensed games. From LEGO Batman to Harry Potter and Star Wars, there is a chance you have played one of these games at some point. TT released its latest title, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, last April after 2 years of delays. 

The Skywalker Saga was a success for TT, selling over 5 million units within months of release. The Skywalker Saga did, however, go through many rough stages during development. Employees of TT spoke to Polygon, speaking of a culture of crunch, low morale amongst employees, and unrealistic deadlines and expectations from management. 

One issue that caused major delays to The Skywalker Saga was the request from management to build the game on a brand new engine, called the NTT engine that would underpin all future TT Games titles. When the game began development in 2017, employees were confused as to the need for such an engine, as the Unreal Engine was suitable for their needs, and developing a brand new engine would take up too many resources. 

TT Games has a long history of high-quality top selling games. While it can be upsetting to see projects canceled, it seems like TT spread itself too thin across a number of projects. With a Harry Potter game as the focus of the studio, we will see if the company can replicate the success of Hogwarts Legacy.