How Steven Spielberg’s Ambitious Video Game Failed To Take Off

Steven Spielberg once tried to make a game known to most people only as “LMNO”, an ambitious game that would have explored the relationship between a secret agent and an alien-like creature named Eve had it not been cancelled – 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 quiet everyman Lincoln 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 behaviour 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. Oh, and it was about three hours long. At least, that was the first version of LMNO.

After realising just how ambitious, atypical and expensive the project was, EA reportedly gutted the team and started LMNO anew with something described as more Uncharted-like.

Too bad that didn’t work out either. Ultimately, ambition, fear and the 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]