Xcavator 2025: A Lost NES Gem Resurfaces for a Good Cause
These days, new games for retro systems have popped up so frequently that the initial thrill has started to wear off. I say this as someone who still loves a good session on the NES. But the journey of Xcavator 2025, poised for release on a fresh NES cartridge in 2026, is simply too fascinating to overlook—especially since the game looks pretty promising, too.
Unveiled during the Day of the Devs showcase earlier today, Xcavator 2025 is a shooter that publisher iam8bit bills as “a never-before-seen, long-lost prototype game from legendary programmer Chris Oberth.” While much of Oberth’s legacy remains shrouded in obscurity for today’s gamers, his arcade creations for Stern were quite influential in shaping the early ’80s development landscape.
This game initially aimed for a 1991 NES release under Incredible Technologies, the outfit behind arcade staples like Golden Tee Golf and Big Buck Hunter. However, despite being “shopped around to multiple publishers across the country,” it ultimately failed to secure a home, landing instead in the archives, gathering dust and mostly forgotten.
“We are SO EXCITED to finally show you Xcavator 2025! This is an unreleased (and unannounced!) NES game from 1991 that we recovered from its source code. The rights to it were 100% donated to us, and it’s being published as a fundraiser cartridge to support our work!” tweeted the Video Game History Foundation.
Remarkably, Xcavator 2025 was never even officially announced. If it weren’t for the prototype discovered among materials in Oberth’s development archives—donated after his passing by his family—this game would have joined the ranks of forgotten media.
iam8bit pointed out that the Video Game History Foundation collaborated with Mega Cat Studios to bring the game to completion, ensuring it stays faithful to Oberth’s original vision and utilizing the same tools he would have picked for development.
Pre-orders for Xcavator 2025 are already available, set for a Q2 2026 launch at the price of $100. While that’s a pretty hefty sum even for a modern reproduction cartridge, the good news is that 100% of the proceeds will support the Video Game History Foundation and their mission to preserve forgotten pieces of gaming history.
Curious about other titles? Check out some of the best NES games of all time!