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Posted in: Games, iam8bit, Mega Cat Studios, Retro Games, Video Games | Tagged: Retrotainment Games, Xcavator, Xcavator 2025
Lost NES Game Xcavator Brought Back as Xcavator 2025
Xcavator 2025 will bring one of the long-lost NES titles to modern gamers, with all proceeds going to the Video Game History Foundation
Article Summary
- Xcavator 2025 revives a lost NES game, with all proceeds supporting the Video Game History Foundation.
- Originally created in 1991 by Chris Oberth, Xcavator was never released until now for modern audiences.
- Mega Cat Studios, Retrotainment, and iam8bit partnered to create a playable NES cartridge and manual.
- Launch coincides with VGHF's Winter Fundraiser 2025, preserving a unique piece of gaming history.
A long-lost video game is coming back for a good cause, as Xcavator 2025 has been announced for the NES today. The Video Game History Foundation, Mega Cat Studios, and Retrotainment Games have come together to bring back Xcavator, the lost NES game from Chris Oberth, and have updated it for modern gamers. What's more, they have partnered with iam8bit to create a physical edition of the game that can be played on a classic Nintendo Entertainment System, with all proceeds going to support the VGHF during their Winter Fundraiser 2025 event. We have more details and a quote from today's announcement below, as the game is up for pre-order right now.
Xcavator 2025
Originally developed at Incredible Technologies Inc., the company behind coin-op classics like Golden Tee Golf, Big Buck Hunter and more, Xcavator was shopped around to multiple publishers across the country in 1991, but never found a home, and was quietly archived and never looked at again. After the original source code was donated by Oberth's family to the VGHF, the game was rebuilt in partnership with Mega Cat Studios. and Incredible Technologies agreed to donate the rights to the VGHF to preserve the game IP and aid the charity's fundraising for its work within the videogames industry. Through a collective effort rooted in passion and altruism, Xcavator is now finished, staying true to Oberth's original vision, using the same tools that would've been used to fully develop the title in 1991.
iam8bit worked with Retrotainment to produce a classic gray NES cartridge. The cartridge will be packed in with a 14-page manual, authored by the VGHF. Retro gaming fans who grew up in the NES era will find a lovingly crafted nod to manuals of the past with an additional special segment of the book dedicated to the history of Xcavator, Oberth, the studio, and more, making for a release that players and retro enthusiasts can display proudly for years to come.
"The original Xcavator prototype is a rare glimpse at the struggles of an indie developer trying to break into the console industry during the 8-bit golden age," said Frank Cifaldi, founder and director of the Video Game History Foundation. "The world wasn't ready for it in 1991, but thanks to Oberth saving his work – and to his family for getting it into archivist hands – 2026 will be the year that his work will finally see the light of day. This is an important piece of game history and we're proud to be able to raise awareness for it with the help of everyone involved."
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