“This was not a financial decision,” Louis Castle, co-founder of Westwood studios, part of developer Paradox, says. Thrill Kill allowed four players to fight simultaneously – a technical feat for the Sony hardware in 1998 – but EA cared more about its image than the impressive tech. "A promotional plan they discussed was to send demo discs to people that hated video game violence." The new owner of the title, EA, didn’t want to risk controversy. This violent arena fighter wasn’t killed by tabloid reaction or outcries from concerned parents, however - it had its plug pulled by executives at the last minute, before it was due to enter stores across the world, hyped as a rival to Mortal Kombat.
The game had already survived Sony submissions and talks were underway for a sequel which would be called either ‘F.U.B.A.R’ or ‘S&M’. Thrill Kill was terminated while 99% finished, according to programmer David Olloman. Those who had rigged their console to play pirated games could download a bootleg version, which only added to its grubby infamy. If you ever owned a chipped PlayStation, there’s a chance you have heard of Thrill Kill, a violent, sexually suggestive fighting game that never saw the light of day. The story of Thrill Kill, a PS1 fighting game canned by EA for being too controversial was first published on July 17, 2018.
It’s been a wild year for VG247, so to celebrate we’re going to be republishing some of our favourite work published in 2018 – opinion pieces, features, and interviews, that we’ve enjoyed writing and reading, and which we believe showcase some of our best work.
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