Screenshots from Rockstar’s canceled action-spy game, Agent, have surfaced online reminding gamers of a different era for the company. Agent had begun its development sometime around the end of the PlayStation 2 release cycle and had already been announced as a forthcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive at E3 2007. The timing of this coincided with Rockstar Games expanding and buying studios, working on its already growing Grand Theft Auto franchise, plus Max Payne, Red Dead Redemption, and LA Noire. At this point, Rockstar Games had already established itself by releasing immersive games set in specific time periods, each with a particular focus on crime and/or action.
It has been said that Agent was inspired by U.K. television show The Professionals and, of course, Ian Flemming’s James Bond. Agent would’ve set itself apart from other Rockstar Games by detouring from the open-world game design the company was becoming known for. Instead, players would be based in Washington D.C., and take on missions that took them around the globe to a different locale. The new screenshots, which can be viewed here and here, show what appears to be an abandoned oil rig/platform that perhaps was used by an evil syndicate. However, there were no signs of sharks with laser beams on their heads. The graphics are quite good for the era which also supports the probability this game was being developed for the powerfully advanced hardware of the PlayStation 3.
From PS2 to PS3, PS4, and then gone. . .
The screenshots from Rockstar’s canceled game also serve as a reminder of how the company has undergone many changes over the last couple of decades. Formed in 1998 it had already set out on a more unique path for that time but by 2010 the company most gamers are familiar with would begin taking shape. With the release of GTA V, and Red Dead Redemption, these two major tentpole franchises would cement themselves at the company’s core and take priority over just about anything else. Max Payne has ended up providing some of the action-spy elements that Agent may have intended to do. It has had levels of success but remains in the shadows of Rockstar’s other legacy franchises.
Like so many games Agent would fall into a development abyss never to be seen again outside of screenshots like these. After numerous delays, and then the release of the PlayStation 4, the game slid into the ether never to be mentioned again by Rockstar, who had for years before teased during various press events saying it was still being worked on. Given the company’s attention to detail with its games fans could only guess what might have been. Youtuber Luck Stat has created an interesting short documentary on the game, along with another for RockStar’s other canceled project, the sequel to L.A. Noire. RockStar has been rumored to have other projects in the works throughout the years, and have never seen the light of day, but these two often stand out as being games fans were expecting to see a release for.