#Though like most espionage stuff that started out during the Cold War years

[msbarrows]

I mostly buy ebooks rather than dead tree books these days, so I don’t have a nice stack of Christmas reading to show off, but I can screenshot my Calibre library screen, so here’s that.

I went and spent probably more than I should have this morning on a combination of stuff to read over Christmas, plus working my way slightly further through replacing old paperback favourites with ebooks (and in one case, both at once). Not sure which of these I’m going to dive into first; I’ve heard good things about both the first and last things on that screen, plus I usually love Guy Gavriel Kay books (which are almost always ‘pack tissues’ reads).

[artificialqueens]

1999, Chapter One (Jaida/Crystal) - Roza

summary: jaida is a foreign policy advisor to the government during the cold war and travels to france for diplomacy work. crystal has her hands tied behind her back but can’t help but enjoy every last day she has and live it to the fullest even if it means interfering with jaida’s own work.

author's note: mamma mia here I go again with another songfic based on history. part of me loves this concept because I am about to major in international relations after next year so I hope this will come off okay, was feeling extra inspired. thank you jankie candle for screaming about jaida’s hair.

AO3 Link / My Tumblr: @leljaaa / ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ

— *.✧

June 26th 1986.

Washington D.C., USA.

“So you’re being assigned to head to France I’ve heard,” Trinity grinned as Jaida lifted her head from her stack of paperwork, attempting to make it somewhat neat and organized as she nodded her head. The Milwaukee native hummed in response to the comment, neither confirming or denying if that was true.

Jaida flipped her long, curly hair with a grin painted across her lips as she admitted that she was indeed going to France, insighting that it was her first real and big task. “I am going over to try and talk to some other diplomats about the possibility of nuclear war, you know, the fun stuff,” she joked as Trinity rolled her eyes.

“Well, a lot has happened since you’ve been here working for the government unfortunately,” Trinity replied somber as the brunette finished up throwing the old documents in the garbage bin behind Jaida’s desk. “You’re gonna do great, maybe you’ll finally get inside those stupid men’s heads.”

“I will do what I have to, It’s my job after all,” Jaida explained softly before stapling the final stack of documents that had been placed on her desk before scoffing at the second sentiment knowing that she was most likely going to be the only woman of colour at that table.

"Men are fucking stupid, the fact they even have positions of power is incredible to me," Jaida mumbled under breath as she stacked her papers neatly on Trinity's desk as she heard her friend cackle loudly.

“What? I am not lying! I am the culmination of everything men in politics hate: young, black, educated and a woman.”

Trinity sighed, knowing that she could not exactly disagree with that sentiment at all. Jaida was young and passionate and had a drive and was extremely charming but yet would never be taken seriously even if she had graduated Princeton and had earned her position.

"Child just wait and see, if this talk doesn't go well then we'll be one step closer to nuclear war."

"Because we truly can't get any closer," the native Floridian huffed before she heard Jaida's recognizable laugh fill the space. The two spoke about how the American felt about living and being in Paris for the next few months and the twenty six year old only felt excitement.

"I'll be turning twenty-seven in Paris," Jaida squealed as she chuckled, telling Trinity about how badly she dreamed about being a designer before she got into the realm of politics and how her childhood destiny was to live near the Eiffel Tower and make a successful clothing brand.

"How basic," Trinity replied jokingly before Jaida smacked her shoulder. "You make most of your own clothes anyway, you've accomplished a bit of your childhood dream at least."

That was quite true, Jaida was used to making her own clothing and designs especially when she first moved to Washington D.C. and didn't yet have her government salary to live off of. It was an expensive city but eventually she earned enough money to travel and get by.

"It gives me something to do when I don't wanna think about politics and I look damn good always so I consider it a win, win situation," Jaida winked as she ran her hands down her  purple dress.

"Well, have fun when you can; you never know how much time we might have left," Trinity added somber before lifting up the tone and asking for Jaida to bring her back a cute souvenir or flag for her wall at home in Orlando.

Jaida leaned against her desk, clearing her throat as she asked the brunette about how everything was going with her partner though they didn't say a word, only communicating in glances.

"She's good," Trinity finally said aloud as Jaida clapped happily, thankful to hear that her partner was safe and okay back in Florida considering all of the uncertainty and scare building around the AIDS Crisis.

"Good. I'll bring you and Detox something from Paris and that's a promise, I'll probably be stuck at the airport for a few hours anyway," Jaida manifested before she ran her hands through her hair smiling wide, still excited at the prospect of going to such a high profile conference.

"You'll do great for sure, you're the only one I would even pay any attention to."

Jaida rolled her eyes though she knew Trinity was being quite serious and was simply speaking the truth, as she always did.

"I am leaving early today to go and pack because my flight is in a few days but if you want to help me I am happily inviting you to help me decide what to bring," Jaida asked chipper though Trinity looked as if she wanted absolutely no part of that.

"I don't know—can I truly take three hours of looking through your closet for you to only pick the worst outfits?" Trinity pondered teasingly before Jaida scoffed, offended.

"No need to be so shady, I will give you alcohol if you come and help."

"Done deal."

Jaida grinned, if there was one thing that could possibly win over any woman who worked with fumbling men all day it was absolutely wine or hard liquor. "Great, you just knock on my door and I'll be home," she promised before Trinity nodded and leaned against her doorway asking if she wanted any more help.

"You've helped enough."

"Then I will see you in a few hours, I expect good alcohol," Trinity called out before closing Jaida's door firmly. The younger woman jumped a bit to the loud noise before turning her head back to her work.

She sunk in her chair, counting down the days on her small calendar that faced her desk knowing that she was going to be in France soon enough for better or for worse.

If everything goes to shit then at least I'll die nice and pretty in Paris.

— *.✧

June 28th 1986.

Paris, France

"I am finally home!"

Jackie's head turned the moment she heard her roommate's familiar voice, her eyes gently glanced up from the words of her novel up to Crystal who waved two thick stacks of money in front of her face before quickly shutting the door behind her.

"Oh Crystal…"

"Here you are," Crystal hummed as she tossed Jackie the stack of French Francs her way. The redhead stuffed her hands inside of her dyed purple fur coat before seeing Jackie's expression suddenly harden.

"I got it completely legal and it is not counterfeit do not give me that look," Crystal clarified as Jackie sighed heavily, not even wanting to ask any questions as she knew she'd receive absolutely no solid answers from her roommate.

Crystal threw off her jacket as she revealed her matching lilac ensemble before turning her attention towards their quaint kitchen. "Now you can finally take Gigi on a nice date finally," she added aloud before letting her hair flow down to her hips.

The Persian rolled her eyes, biting her tongue as her fingers sifted through the colourful, thick wad of cash. Jackie shook her head, assuming that the activities that Crystal had to do to earn this money were certainly not worth it.

"What did you do this time?" The Middle Eastern woman asked as she sat up against the couch in their apartment, Jackie reaching for the remote as she lowered the television set. "What did you do to almost get arrested this time?"

Crystal giggled before correcting Jackie that no police had been involved for this specific encounter.

"I sold some drugs for them to tell me some dirt on the Soviet Union and give us money of course," Crystal replied as if she was bored of the subject and it was just another day of work coming home from something miniscule like an office job. "Typical espionage things," the Mexican girl grinned as she shuffled in their kitchen as she looked for some kind of beverage.

"You seem angry for someone who is holding an entire tower of cash."

"You got yourself into this mess, not me," Jackie spat as the Persian let the cash fall onto the table with a hard thud before she turned her attention back to her book, attempting not to start an entire conversation and rant about how much danger Crystal was putting herself in everyday just for some cash.

"Do not educate me on the politics of the Soviet Union or NATO or I will throw this soda in your face and that's a promise," Crystal grumbled gently to her friend before taking a long sip of Cola. "I am doing this because I need the money and need to support us while you're out of a job."

Jackie couldn't argue with that.

Crystal jumped onto the brown couch with a wide grin as she offered the Persian some of her drink, Jackie declined as she returned to her books as always.

"You're so boring! You should come to the nightclub with me tonight, you can't expect me to let you just stay here rubbing your nose into your long and boring."

"They're not boring!"

"There's no pictures," Crystal whispered offended before the Persian chuckled amused at her antics though she was quite uneasy about even the idea of going to the club with Crystal made her wince.

"I don't know, I'd rather not spend money on overpriced alcohol and pass out on the streets of Paris with you."

"This war is gonna kill all of us soon eventually, we might as well party and swallow alcohol by the dozen while we still can," Crystal replied a bit too bright for something as serious as the looming threat of nuclear war.

"You have such an optimistic opinion when it comes to this stuff, I'm both impressed and mildly horrified."

Crystal shrugged, everyone seemed to think this entire decade was going to be the last in human history. Even if it was—which it might damn well be: why waste your time moping around at home? There were so many things to see and do and now was the time to finally break away from authority and party until you passed out.

"I'm not a politician, I just want to have fun with my roommate before everything goes downward is all," Crystal admitted as she finished up her can of sugary soda with a sigh of euphoria.

"Also Nicky really wants to see you," Crystal teased as she rubbed her shoulder against Jackie's intent on getting the Persian out of their apartment for at least a night.

"I don't exactly think I however need to see her."

The redhead gasped surprised that Jackie had seemed to move on so quickly from the French woman. "You two were so cute together, I will make this pair happen again even if I think Gigi is good fun and all," Crystal rambled before seeing the Persian cock a brow, crossing her arms.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," the redhead responded on the dot as she noticed Jackie's facial expression change almost immediately at the idea of Crystal trying to put her and Nicky together again in a romantic sense.

"Just trying to help out my fellow immigrant sister," the Mexican smirked as she pushed Jackie's hair back and out of her face. The Persian flushed, aggravated knowing that Crystal was not going to stop unless she agreed to go to the stupid nightclub.

"Fine, I'll go with you," Jackie finally said as Crystal squealed in excitement, immediately grabbing the Persian's hand as she dragged her to their closet needing to know what she was going to wear.

"I have people you need to impress," Crystal joked playfully though she was quite serious knowing that she had to do some dirty work to get her next paycheck.

Jackie smiled completely unamused, "I am not about to be roped into your stupid spy game and you better leave me out of it," the immigrant commented serious as Crystal rubbed her shoulders telling her to calm down.

"You're truly absolutely no fun."

"I'm serious, do not rope me into any kind of game, this is the last thing I need right now after leaving all of my family back home in Iran."

Crystal raised her hands in defeat as she promised the Persian that there would be no funny business. "You have my word," the redhead said smiling softly as she pulled out various dresses from the closet in front of them.

Though that word just might break to help the both of us. I might need your help for this…

"Now, let's see what you're gonna wear!"

— *.✧

June 29th 1986.

Paris, France

Jaida felt like she had stuck in the same room for almost three hours and judging by the watch around her wrist; she was not too far off with her original estimate.

The ministry was beautiful and was far more enjoyable to look at during a tour than it was to be an advisor inside that same building. The American sighed under her breath, making an attempt not to look completely bored and angered with how things were currently shaping up to be at the moment.

Child if I hear one more time about the World Cup during this meeting…

As expected, the woman had yet to even get a single sentence in though she supposed it was not too much of a surprise considering the room was filled namely with old, almost all white, over the ages of fifty five.

"Is anyone going to actually speak about the problem at hand or are we just going to ignore the threat of Nuclear War that's on everybody's shoulders?" Jaida finally spoke up as almost all of the advisors and diplomats in the room seemed impressed and offended she had even spoken up.

"What say the woman, do you have an idea to bring world peace?"

Jaida smiled, knowing deep within her heart that her snapping at a man in her own league over being a prick was not the best idea. Not yet .

"We have a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, enough ballistic missiles to end this entire planet and not to mention the complete disregard for human rights but go on, talk about your sport event that certainly won't exist after Gorbachev pushes that button."

The conversation quickly escalated to how it was both Soviet and American forces pushing this threat and how Jaida was being blinded by her own country's policies to only bring up the Soviet Union.

Well... they're at least on topic now.

Whoever said diplomacy was peaceful clearly had never seen any kind of meeting, summit or assembly in action.

Jaida couldn't say that they were wrong, it was every country that was poking at one another, they all had blame even if she had to swallow the fact that her own government was completely picking and choosing what issues to care about.

Another hour passed before they were dismissed for their own two hour break. They had at least made it to screaming about the topic and current issues going on in politics and not sports.

"Meeting is adjourned."

Jaida wanted to scream "Hallelujah," as she exited the room that had become stuffy and filled to the brim with nothing but tension and uncomfortable silence.

The advisors were beginning to at least agree upon the idea of a summit of some sorts though the details were scattered and messy.

She knew that she was completely the odd one out though she was determined to show she was not just some kind of diversity quota. The American immediately headed for the restroom knowing that holding everything in for almost four hours was truly not the brightest idea.

Nobody seems to care about the fact people are being harmed except me.

Jaida walked into one of the stalls as she tapped her fingertip's against her bare skin with a heavy sigh.

She at least certainly looked the best though it wasn't exactly a fair comparison when she had a black, tight, perfectly fitting dress with beautiful custom jewels around the waist as opposed to the dozens of black and white suits that filled the room.

The American washed her hands thoroughly as she noticed another woman beside her. She attempted not to stare knowing it was impolite and a bit too flamboyant during times like these with everything going around.  

"You can say I'm pretty," the woman beside her finally spoke up as Jaida laughed, amused though her cheeks turned a bright red as she prayed that this wasn't some kind of intervention.

"Shy?" The redhead asked as she wore a tight and short floral print off the shoulder dress that perfectly seemed to hug her body. Jaida shook her head, managing to spew out that she really enjoyed the dress and fabric she currently had on.

"From someone who looks like a statue I'm so honoured," the mysterious woman winked as Jaida laughed nervously before adjusting her hair and giving in to the glances sent her way.

"I'm Jaida," the American finally spoke before holding out her hand for the other to take. She explained how she was currently in the meeting down at the Ministers cabinet as part of her job.

"Oh she's a diplomat is she?" the woman grinned before she accepted her hand. She shook it firmly before introducing herself as Crystal. "I'm not that educated and smart, I'm just here to get some work done for my uncle," she managed to get out confidently.

"Crystal," Jaida repeated with a slight smile printed across her lips as she noticed Crystal's own grin appear as she reapplied her dark red lipstick.

"How long are you in Paris for?" Crystal asked curious though she knew that this conversation was beginning to unravel far too many questions and ideas than expected.

The Mexican kicked herself for not thinking of a better storyline knowing that she had to steal what she had to before she was kicked out of the building.

I just need these stupid documents… maybe she can help me out here.

"A few months," Jaida admitted carefully not knowing how much trust to put into the woman who seemed certainly beautiful but also a bit younger and more free spirited than her.  

"You should come visit my arrondissement," Crystal suggested casually as she began to like the idea of getting to know Jaida for every wrong reason. She was stunning and certainly seemed far more rich and poised than the Mexican who was simply here to snatch some documents and information.

"A native Parisian showing me around?"

The redhead laughed gently, "The Mexican who immigrated to Paris more than ten years ago more like," she corrected as Jaida gasped, her expression reading as if she had been almost relieved to hear that information.

"So someone from North America? Even better," Jaida replied as she explained she was the American foreign policy advisor for the federal government. Crystal did not understand a single word of what she had said except that she was for one thing important but also most likely filled with information she could use.

"When is your meeting finished?"

Jaida chuckled, "The evening, I'll be out of here just before ten at night." Crystal immediately pulled out a sticky note from her bra before asking to borrow the pen the American had attached to her legal pad.

"Meet me tomorrow and I promise I will show you a good time without all the tourists."

Something about this felt oddly staged and it made Jaida's stomach churn just a bit though it also felt wildly engaging and exciting.

The American nodded as she took the note between her fingers.

"You have a deal."

[toby-stephens]

TOBY NEWS : MAY 2019

Toby reprieved his role as James Bond for Martin Jarvis’s eighth production of his versions of Ian Fleming’s novels for BBC Radio 4.  This time ‘Live and Let Die’ which was broadcast on Saturday 4th May

Toby was slated to appear at EM-Con Nottingham at Motorpoint Arena 4th/5th May 

In preparation for the broadcast of ‘Summer of Rockets' Toby appeared on Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2 on 13 May 2019.

‘SUMMER OF ROCKETS’

‘Summer of Rockets’ was launched on BBC on May 22nd

Set during the summer of 1958 this cold war espionage drama centres around Samuel Petrukhin, based on Stephen Poliakoff’s own grandfather, and played by Toby.  Samuel is a Russian Jewish emigre, an inventor who owns a factory that manufactures hearing aids and who has recently invented the ‘bleeper’.

The Telegraph said it was a promising start and of Toby commented, “A restrained, enigmatic Stephens reminded us why he was once so feted”

IN TOBY’S WORDS:

On ‘Summer of Rockets’:

“It is the advent of space exploration, but it’s also the height of the cold war, high paranoia within the UK about Russian infiltration, spies within MI5, MI6, and huge paranoia about nuclear annihilation.  So what happened was, and this is based on Stephen Poliakoff’s parents, especially his dad and his grandfather.  They were electronic engineers, they started up a business over here, they came over just as Stalin was taking control of Russia.  They made deaf aids initially but they also came up with the first paging device but they were terrible  business men and it never really caught on.  There’s a real blend of fact and fiction in this.  He gets sucked into this right wing reactionary plot to take over the government which actually did happen at the time, there was this coup attempt after the suez crisis when they were a right wing group that was convinced the government was riddled with spies and they needed to get rid of it and take control.”

“He’s attracted to this aristocratic family cos he loves everything English and he wants to be more English ad he gets sucked into this plot and then MI5 are countering this plot and are using him as well to spy on them and this poor guy is just stuck in the middle of this whole thing.”  

“It does have traction within the plot.  The right wing faction want to use the pager cos then they can communicate without using telephones or whatever so that’s their interest in him so he gets sucked into that and at the same time MI5 are using him to spy on them.  This is based on a shred of truth in that S’s father used to service Winston Churchill’s deaf aid.  This is true.  And this contract was withdrawn suddenly with no explanation.  But years later when MI5 released all this information SP was contacted and told they had withdrawn it because they believed SP’s father was a Russian spy and was bugging…also this paranoia was based on fact.  There was also a very interesting social reason why  never caught on.”

“They wanted it to be for the professional classes, so surgeons for example, and doctors.”

“But at the time they didn’t want to be run like servants.  It never really caught on.”  

Source: Steve Wright in the Afternoon, BBC Radio 2

“Stephen has created this character out of the kernels of his own family story”

“Samuel is an immigrant, but he wants to be more English than the English. Over the course of the show you see how he has this over-reaching idea of himself, but then he comes to realise who he really is, and what he should be proud of.  Stephen's father did in fact service Winston Churchill's hearing aids, and was stopped from doing that for a period of time. They never got to the bottom of it, but years later some secret papers were released and sent to Stephen. They said that there had been suspicion that his father was a Russian spy.”

“Even though his family had fled from the Communists, the paranoia at the time was so intense that they actually feared he could be bugging Winston Churchill's hearing aid. He also invented, with Stephen's grandfather, a paging device and Stephen has used this to bring in a story about a far-right-wing plan to 'take back' the running of the country from the government. The plotters are interested in Samuel because they want to use his pagers.”

Source: dailymail.co.uk

“For me, it’s identity — the characters are all searching for who they are. For my character Samuel, it’s about him coming to terms with who he is. He’s a Jewish émigré but he totally worships England — he’s in love with the whole idea of being English. It’s all about fitting in.”

“I thought that was part of what makes him such a wonderful character. He’s based on Stephen’s grandfather and it is in part biographical. He ran a factory that was full of deaf workers and I loved his pragmatic approach. He just saw them as good workers, he wasn’t bogged down in some kind of social project.”

“They’re a kind of society unto themselves, they are a very tight unit. I feel that comes across. And they are happy because they are a community, they don’t get caught up in that other stuff, all the social palaver that goes on. They are classless, they live a kind of parallel existence. It was evident that they had a very strong sense of themselves — and I don’t think the story in any way patronises them.”

Source: metro.news

“The idea of this Russian Jewish émigré wanting to be more British than the British but yet not being allowed to or not being accepted fully.”

“Certainly there is the strand of immigration and how immigrants are made to feel in this country.”

Source: inews.co.uk

On working with Stephen Poliakoff:

“It’s great to be working with Stephen Poliakoff again after such a long time.  I loved working with him on Perfect Strangers; he’s such a unique and original voice in British television. It’s also good to be filming something back home in the UK for the BBC. It’s been a while.”

Source: denofgeek

“He has a very clear idea of what he wants to achieve and he’s going to get what he wants — and, by hook or by crook, he’ll get you there. It’s what makes him a unique voice but at times it makes it hard as an actor. You may not agree on how to handle a scene but you can’t argue with him — after all, it’s his vision. Even though I was playing the lead, there was no licence, there was no negotiation. But I have enormous respect for him and the way he works.”

Source: metro.news

On the Cold War:

“There was a hysteria about nuclear Armageddon. Today’s nuclear threat is nowhere near as serious and has been superseded by the terror of climate change. We’re really up against it and we’re not doing anything.”

Source: inews.co..uk

On the right wing:

“These people are trying to take the country backwards. And you can’t. You can’t do that. You can’t rewind cultures.”

Source: inews.co.uk

On being a double agent:

“It’s the moral ambiguity of it. You have to be able to swallow your own sense of morality and do what is required. And I think it would be very difficult to do that.”

Source: inews.co.uk

On the analogy with Brexit:

“Yes, I know that’s there, but I know that Stephen [Poliakoff, writer and director] wanted to stay away from making too much of an analogy. But it’s there and it’s right that it should be there. The attitude to how we view immigrants and what makes us belong is central to the story.”

Source: news..co.uk

On the 1950s:

“There seems to be a hankering after a past that didn’t really exist. It was a time that was riddled with paranoia about the Cold War, the Suez Crisis — and spies were all working for Russia and lurking everywhere. Happy days!”

Source: metro.news

On ‘Lost in Space’ 2: 

“I believe it’s going to be Christmas time.  I actually have been non stop for the last 7 years and I just wanted to stop for a bit and see my family for a bit.  I've got 3 kids and they barely know me  it’s like who are you?  I could page them once in a while.”

Source: Steve Wright in the Afternoon, BBC Radio2

On going from ‘Lost in Space’ to ‘Summer of Rockets’:

“They are very different projects. I’m not in space in ‘Summer Of Rockets’.”

On the Mars mission:

“No way. ‘Lost In Space’ showed me how harsh that would be. It’s not the kind of place you could live easily — and it takes so long to get there. When they’ve got a spa up there, then I’ll go. When you can get a massage on Mars, sign me up!”

On starting out:

“Most people were getting up, doing a rendition of Jabberwocky, and just getting from the beginning to the end was enough.  I remember doing these poems and people were looking at me like I was a freak because I would invest them with emotion.”

“It’s something innate within you. It’s an instinct that you have. You can’t learn it.”

Source: inews.co.uk

On his mother’s help in the industry:

“She gave some advice. There’s no leg up in this industry. If you can’t do it, you can’t do it.”

On whether his children will follow in the family line:

“I know how difficult it is. And I think it’s getting harder.”

Source: inews.co.uk

On having children:

“I need to put bread on the table.  The idea of suddenly becoming a painter decorator or something… I would if I had to. But luckily, touch wood, I never have.”

Source: inews.co.uk;

On working in America and feeling British:

“Yes, definitely British. But you can’t help but be troubled by what’s going on and where it will all end. I thought I was part of some sort of open, forward-thinking society and then it turns out that I’m living among a lot of people who don’t think like that. You have to accept that, though. I’m not about to become American — it’s not much different there, in any case!”

On being an action man at 50:

“Christ, I can’t keep doing all that stuff, the body won’t take it. I’m still recovering from ‘Black Sails’ and we finished filming ages ago. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to that kind of thing. It’s funny, it’s not really what I’m most comfortable with — I somehow got sidetracked into playing pirates and astronauts and Bond villains.

I think I imagined that by 50 I’d get to do a load of different jobs. But, to be honest, the last ten or 11 years it’s been all about paying the bills — that’s what happens when you have kids, that’s a massive motivation. But then you start to think, ‘Hey, there’s only a certain amount of time left to do what I want to do.’ So it’s great when you get the chance to be doing something that’s more grown up.

Source: metro.news

[aion-rsa]

20 E3 Games That Were Never Released

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E3 2020 has been canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, many studios have stepped forward to set up their own digital events designed to capture the magic of E3 and preserve the traditional June reveal season. These online events are sure to be full of surprises, memorable moments, and incredible trailers.

And if they’re anything like E3s of the past, they’ll also feature games that will generate quite a bit of hype but will never see the light of day. Video games get canceled quietly all the time, but there’s nothing quite as strange as a game that makes a splash at the biggest show of the year and then vanishes without a trace.

In celebration of E3 season, we’ve decided to look at some of the most infamous M.I.A. games from the show’s history and what happened to them:

100 Bullets

Based on the graphic novel series of the same name, 100 Bullets was a stylish third-person action title similar to Max Payne. It made quite the splash at E3 2004 where it was named one of the best games of the show by those who were impressed by its gameplay fluidity and visuals.

Sadly, 100 Bullets was canceled when developer and publisher Acclaim Entertainment went under later that year. Although there have been talks of reviving this concept/license over the years, it’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything concrete on the subject. That’s a real shame as the game looked great.

Agent

First announced at E3 2007, Agent was described as a Cold War thriller that would emphasize stealth elements in order to “take players into the world of counter-intelligence, espionage, and political assassinations.” More importantly, Agent was set to be a major PS3 exclusive developed by Rockstar Games.

Subsequent E3s revealed that Sony had doubts regarding whether or not Agent would end up being a PS3 exclusive. As the years went by, others started to wonder if Agent would ever be released at all. While rumors about Agent have lingered for years, it’s pretty clear at this point that Rockstar abandoned the development of the project at some point, even if it hasn’t confirmed as much as of today. That said, the trademark for the game was not renewed by Rockstar in 2018, which is pretty much the final nail in the coffin.

BattleCry

Following its E3 2014 showcase, many felt that BattleCry — a third-person competitive team-based multiplayer title — was positioned to be publisher Bethesda’s answer to Team Fortress 2. In fact, had BattleCry actually released, the title would have likely competed with games like Overwatch.

Instead, BattleCry became one of those games that people forgot about as updates became few and far between. While there’s no official word on what happened to the game, it essentially sounds like Bethesda wasn’t happy with the progress and decided to move on. It’s also possible the market for such titles was too full by the time BattleCry would have been ready.

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4

Back in the early 2000s, during the golden age of WWII shooters, Gearbox’s Brothers in Arms was one of the premier shooter series on the market. The storytelling was top-notch and the characters were captivating, all wrapped up in a realistic package that sought to recreate what it was like to be on the front lines of western Europe during WWII. But by E3 2011, the series was already in its twilight years, replaced by other behemoths of the genre like Call of Duty.

This didn’t stop Gearbox from unveiling a very different kind of Brothers in Arms game during that year’s Ubisoft conference. Billed as a romp across Europe starring zany, larger-than-life characters on a murderous rampage against the Nazis, it was clear Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 was trying to cash in on the success of Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 irreverent war epic Inglourious Basterds.

But, according Gearbox president Randy Pitchford, the studio eventually decided that Furious 4 didn’t quite fit the Brothers in Arms franchise, after all. For a while, the studio approached the project as a new IP before Gearbox pulled the plug for good to focus on Battleborn.

The Dark Sorcerer

The Dark Sorcerer premiered slightly ahead of Sony’s E3 2013 PS4 showcase, but it was at the trade show where we got a much deeper look at developer Quantic Dream’s apparent next-gen project. Strangely enough, The Dark Sorcerer turned out to just be an in-engine demo, an elaborate comedy sketch that parodied medieval fantasy adventures.

Some assumed that The Dark Sorcerer was always just a joke/tech demo, but the amount of effort that went into it, combined with its initially much more tonally serious debut, led some to believe that it could end up being a full-fledged PS4 game. After all, a similar Quantic Dream tech demo from 2012 called Kara was the seed that eventually became Detroit: Become Human. While anything is possible, we’ve not heard anything but a full-fledged The Dark Sorcerer game since 2013.

Deep Down

This is arguably the most infamous E3 MIA case in recent years. Deep Down was first revealed in 2013, but it was the incredible E3 2014 trailer that got everyone talking about how the game looked like Capcom’s take on Dark Souls.

Then Capcom went silent. The years came and went without any new footage or details about the project. While Capcom producer Yoshino Ori told Eurogamer in 2019 that the game “[has] not been completely given up on,” it’s rare for a project to resurface after so many years of silence. For the record, we’d still love to play this game someday.

Eight Days

Eight Days burst onto the scene at E3 2005 where early footage of the game was used to showcase the power of the PlayStation 3. Sony seemed to bump the game up from “tech demo” to “real title” during its E3 2006 conference, but many wondered whether or not the game would look remotely as good as it appeared to look in those early previews.

Sadly, fans never had the chance to find out. In 2008, Sony announced that it had decided to walk away from the Eight Days project right as it was “just ramping up to full production.” Sony said in a statement at the time that “with the incredibly strong list of exclusive first party titles coming up both this year and in the near future, resource should be reallocated to enhance those projects closer to completion.”

EITR

This isn’t the biggest game on this list, but it is one of the most intriguing. Heavily showcased at E3 2015, EITR was referred to as the sleeper hit of the show by many journalists who fell in love with its art style and solid Action RPG combat. It certainly looked like publisher Devolver Digital had a hit on its hands.

Despite still being listed on Steam and yet to be officially canceled, EITR is firmly in development hell at this point. What’s so confusing about this missing game is that it looked nearly completed when it debuted. Who knows if we’ll ever get to see more of this title.

Fez 2

The making of indie mega-hit Fez is the stuff of legend, thanks to the award-winning documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which chronicles the torturous journey of several indie developers as they struggle to finish their dream games. One of the creators at the center of the doc is Phil Fish, the designer trying to make his multi-dimensional platformer a reality despite several obstacles, including a legal battle with a former business partner.

The struggle paid off though when Fez became a critical darling in 2012, and an instant indie classic. It’s no surprise, then, that Fez 2 was quickly announced a year later at E3 2013, with Fish back at the controls. But when Fish got into a Twitter argument with a journalist a month later, the developer decided to leave the industry forever, canceling Fez 2 in the process. Fish hasn’t announced a new project since.

Final Fantasy Versus XII

Back in the early 2000s, it sounded like Square Enix was all in on its “Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy” universe of games, a series of interconnected titles revolving around Final Fantasy XIII and its direct sequels. And at E3 2006, the publisher announced a few follow-ups that would tell other stories set in the same world inhabited by Lightning and her friends.

One of those games was Final Fantasy Versus XIII, a grittier take on this universe that emphasized realism (with a big helping of magic thrown in, of course). The E3 trailer introduced the mystery of the game’s moody protagonist, clad in black and sitting alone on his throne after laying waste to a platoon of enemy soldiers. The promo was actually quite good.

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Unfortunately, after its grand unveiling, Final Fantasy Versus XIII disappeared from Square Enix’s roster of upcoming titles. So what happened? Well, it’s simple: the game eventually became Final Fantasy XV, its own mainline title! But why the switch?According to game director Tetsuya Nomura, the limitations of the PS3 and the growing scale of the spinoff made it impossible to release Versus XIII for that generation of consoles. Final Fantasy XV was later unveiled at E3 2013 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

ION

It’s easy to forget about ION now, but there was certainly a time when it had as much potential as any title at E3 2015. As the brainchild of DayZ creator Dean Hall and developer Improbable, ION was poised to be a hard sci-fi MMO that saw players try to live and work together in space.

Unlike some of the other games on this list, we actually know what happened to ION. Simply put, everyone involved with the game decided to walk away from it and focus on other things. It’s really just as simple as that.

The Last Night

The Last Night’s E3 2017 trailer quickly became one of the most discussed clips of the show. Many fans were awed by the game’s Blade Runner visuals, soundtrack, and promising sci-fi atmosphere.

Then came…everything. Shortly after The Last Night’s debut, it was discovered that co-creator Tim Soret had made some incredibly controversial statements on Twitter years prior, many of which were seen as pro-Gamergate and anti-feminist in nature. Some on the internet also noted that a few of The Last Night’s story elements were based on controversial political beliefs. It’s not known how directly Soret’s statements affected the game’s progress, but three years later, The Last Night is nowhere to be seen.

Phantom Dust Remake

This real-time strategy action game became a bit of a cult hit after it was released for the original Xbox in 2004, so when a remake of Phantom Dust was announced by Microsoft Game Studios at E3 2014, it wasn’t such a big surprise. Set in a post-apocalyptic world afflicted by mass amnesia, the game’s nameless protagonist must get to the bottom of what happened to the planet’s surface that caused humanity to relocate underground. In a post-Metro 2033 world, Phantom Dust sounds even cooler, right?

You can guess what happened next. Microsoft tasked a small studio called Darkside with developing the remake for a new generation of players on the Xbox One. Unfortunately, when Darkside asked for more funding than initially planned, Microsoft decided to shut down the project instead, despite positive feedback on the progress being made by the studio. Fans eventually got a remaster of the original game in 2017, while Darkside was forced to close its doors after the remake was canceled.

Ruin/Warrior’s Lair

Warrior’s Lair (also known as Ruin) was a big part of Sony’s E3 2011 showcase. The idea was that this action-RPG was not only going to be available for both the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, but that players would be able to carry progress from one version of the game over to the other. Think of it as a really rough, early version of a Nintendo Switch game or the cross-play/cross-save games we enjoy today.

Unfortunately, Warrior’s Lair was canceled in 2013. It’s not clear exactly what happened to the project, but it’s possible that the Vita’s struggles (as well as the logistical demands of the game’s cross-platform structure) pushed Sony to walk away from the concept.

Scalebound

Scalebound nearly stole the show at E3 2016. As a visually stunning Xbox One exclusive from Platinum Games, Scalebound was set to be one of the heaviest hitters on a console that was in desperate need of exclusives at the time.

Sadly, it seems that Microsoft and Platinum Games just never made serious progress on the title. Answers vary wildly as to what happened to Scalebound (even from those close to the project), but the gist of it is that there was simply an amicable split between the two parties.

Star Fox (Virtual Boy)

Here’s a fun one for you. Nintendo showcased a Star Fox game running on the Virtual Boy at E3 1995 as part of the company’s demonstrations of the device’s technology. There weren’t many details about this Star Fox project available at the time, but it seemed that Nintendo was depending on the weight of the Star Fox name to sell the Virtual Boy concept.

Yet, it appears that Star Fox for Virtual Boy was never released due to the presence of another, similar Virtual Boy title called Red Alarm. There’s also the fact that Nintendo quickly realized that the Virtual Boy was going to be a disaster…

Star Wars 1313

Few E3 reveals have earned a more mythical status than Star Wars 1313, an action-adventure game announced by LucasArts at E3 2012. Set deep within the criminal underworld of Coruscant, the game’s explosive gameplay trailer gave fans their first look at a new gunslinger shooting his way through a hive of scum and villainy. Little did ecstatic fans know that this mysterious character was actually going to be revealed as Boba Fett (top secret at the time).

That sounds like a home run, right? Disney didn’t think so. When the House of Mouse took over Lucasfilm and all of its subsidiaries, all projects at LucasArts were put on hold. Then LucasArts’ game development division was shut down. To this day, the devs who worked on the game continue to laud the canceled project, a game they felt would have become an all-time Star Wars classic.

Star Wars Project Ragtag

E3 2016 was a happier, more optimistic time for the Star Wars franchise. That was the year that the world got its first substantial look at a Star Wars game known simply as Ragtag. Not only was Ragtag set to be a linear Star Wars third-person action-adventure that focused on a band of thieves as they pulled heists all over the galaxy, but it benefited from the creative contributions of Amy Hennig, the director and writer of the first three Uncharted games, and developer Visceral Games, the makers of the Dead Space series.

It’s truly incredible, then, that absolutely everything went wrong with Ragtag. The basic story is that low team morale, a lack of resources, and EA’s decision to not invest so much money into the project was what brought about Ragtag‘s downfall. On top of that, Visceral had a lot of trouble working with EA’s proprietary Frostbite engine, which was described at the time as a constant obstacle during the game’s production. EA eventually abandoned Ragtag all together and shuttered Visceral for good measure.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots

This is a bit of a cheat considering that Patriots only made brief appearances at E3, but for years, it was easily one of Ubisoft’s most discussed titles. People assumed that we’d eventually hear its intended release date at an E3 event.

Instead, it turns out that Patriots was essentially replaced by Rainbow Six Siege. It’s not entirely clear what happened, but it’s possible that Ubisoft simply decided to focus on more of a “live service” style game over the story-based Patriots project.

Wild

Wild never really received a strong E3 showcase, but it certainly became an E3 talking point between 2014 and 2015. The game was described as a procedurally-generated survival game set during the Neolithic period. Early footage showcased a combination of mysticism and realism as well as a fascinating art style. It definitely looked like Rayman creator Michel Ancel had another big hit on his hands.

It’s not really clear what happened to Wild. Ancel posted shots of the game on social media as late as 2017, but we’ve heard nothing about this title since then. The game became just another example of how a game can create so much buzz on the show circuit and essentially fall off the face of the Earth thereafter.

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