Art From Rejected Ducktales Game Pitch Shows What Could Have Been

Life is like a hurricane here, online. One day companies are slapping googly eyes on its characters and maybe, definitely teasing a new game on April Fool’s Day. The next all our hopes get ahead upon the rocks with the realization that a new Ducktales game made by the developers of the Monster Boy series is nothing more than failed ambition turned April Fool’s joke. The best jokes come from real-life pain, so it makes sense that this rejected art pitched by FDG Entertainment for a Ducktales game pitch hurts most of all.

The saga of poorly timed gags begins on April Fool’s Day when FDG tweeted that it was working on a new project with Game Atelier, developers of the revived and beautiful platforming franchise Monster Boy. The announcement of a new Ducktales game is a cause for celebration, as the original Ducktales and Ducktales 2 on the NES remain as some of the most memorable gaming experiences from the childhoods of many. That nostalgia was able to bring about an HD remaster of the original Ducktales, along with a reference in the new Ducktales TV series to the NES classic’s best piece of music.

Alas, this news was gone in a duck-blur, as FDG later revoked the April Fool’s joke and announced it as all a farce. The screenshots in question are the leftovers of a pitch that the studio made to Disney for a new Ducktales game, which was rejected according to FDG. The studio said, “We worked hard on a legit pitch to Disney but unfortunately never got the license. It would’ve been a shame to bury the material so it became this year’s #AprilFools. Maybe someday Disney will reconsider?”

As dirty of an April Fool’s Day joke as this is, it hurts even more to see evidence of a game that got people excited. The art is gorgeous, with lush colorwork that immediately highlights the game’s shared DNA with the Monster Boy series. Disney, by and large, is no longer in the development game themselves, having slowly liquidated its own game studios since 2016, including closing FoxNext Fogbank back in January. Perhaps FDG will get their chance down the line thanks to the buzz from these tweets, but don’t hold your breath.