Steven Spielberg once tried to make a video game known to most people only as "LMNO," an ambitious project that would have explored the relationship between a secret agent and an alien-like creature named Eve had it not been canceled—twice.
1UP delves into the history of Spielberg's "LMNO" at developer Electronic Arts, explaining that the game was originally designed to be a cooperative adventure starring Lincoln, a quiet everyman, and Eve, an alien-looking woman from thousands of years in the future. On the run from government agents, the duo would communicate non-verbally, with the AI-controlled Eve modifying her behavior based on the player's decisions.
The game would have been presented in the first person, featuring parkour-esque gameplay in the vein of another EA game, Mirror's Edge. It strove to create an emotional bond between player and Eve. Oh, and it was about three hours long. At least, that was the first version of LMNO.
After realizing just how ambitious, atypical and expensive the project was, EA reportedly gutted the team and started LMNO anew with something described by one former team member as "Uncharted set in a Spielberg universe."
Too bad that didn't work out either. Ultimately, ambition, unproven gameplay concepts, fear of originality and EA's bottom line put LMNO to bed forever.
1UP's write-up of the LMNO affair not only goes extremely deep into the project, but also shows off screen shots and art from the canceled game. Don't miss it.
The Story Behind LMNO [1UP]