Unreleased footage of the canned 5,000 Ft Studios Daredevil game — Daredevil the Man Without Fear — has been leaked online. The game was planned to be released on the PlayStation 2 before it was canceled in 2004, reportedly because Marvel refused to approve it.
The game is up on Hidden Place, where you can see screenshots of the game as well as a close-to-complete playable build with the required PS2 emulator hardware. They have also released footage of the game and gameplay
It was to be a third-person beat ’em up action game following the titular Marvel character. The game seemed to feature a host of Daredevil’s characters, including the likes of Elektra, Bullseye, and Kingpin. The gameplay also would have allowed Daredevil to grapple up walls and have his shadow world ability highlight heat sources and forms of life.
The story of the game was seemingly based on the Elektra Lives Again comic run, which saw the assignation of Kingpin spark a war for Hell’s Kitchen between rival gangs.
It reportedly started development with a modest budget before it was increased following the release of the 2003 Ben Affleck Daredevil film. Sony supposedly made demands of the game, which were at odds with the vision pitched to Marvel and eventually led to it getting canned as it no longer resembled the original project that was pitched.
For the moment, the closest we can get to Daredevil is via the law firm sign of Nelson and Murdock’s plaque that resides on a building in Hell’s Kitchen. However, at the release of Spider-Man 2, the text was no longer there before an update placed it back.
What do you think? Was it an Easter Egg of a Daredevil project to come? What did you think of the footage of the 2004 prototype? Let us know below!
