▲
2
▼
Kien was originally developed between 2002 and 2004 by AgeOfGames, a group of five Italian developers who had no prior experience making video games, aiming to be the first company in their country to develop a game for the Game Boy Advance. The game's release would end up being cancelled three separate times when multiple publishers picked up the game and then decided that releasing it would be too risky for sales. At the time, the game was completed and sent to gaming publications, with one known review appearing in the American magazine Nintendo Power in 2003. The game remained unreleased for over 20 years, but a prototype ROM of it did leak online at one point. Game designer Fabio Belsanti would be the only member of the game's original development team to remain at AgeOfGames, who had shifted to developing educational games to stay afloat. Eventually, with the rising popularity in retro games and lowered cost to produce GBA cartridges, AgeOfGames was able to release Kien in 2024 both digitally and on physical cartridges through retro game publisher Incube8 Games. The game's release garnered attention for it possibly having taken the record for the longest delayed video game release in history, surpassing Duke Nukem Forever and Beyond Good & Evil 2 by taking 22 years to release.
DidYouKnowGaming video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RuAKtb2too#t=2128s
Assorted pre-release gameplay of Kien from the early 2000's on IGN's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPijGVE9G1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-opVqCKlYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfRViZPwHAM
Incube8 Games trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1Ul0y6ZcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuuIAX-N2SQ
Nintendo Power Issue #173 (November 2003) (Page 154 in the magazine):
https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-173-november-2003/page/154/mode/2up
Destructoid article:
https://www.destructoid.com/thrice-canceled-gba-game-kien-is-finally-getting-released-22-years-after-completion/
Engadget article:
https://www.engadget.com/possibly-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-is-finally-available-on-the-game-boy-advance-205150837.html
RPGGamer article:
https://rpgamer.com/2024/06/game-boy-advance-title-kien-released/
The Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/article/2024/jul/04/kein-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-released-after-22-years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RuAKtb2too#t=2128s
Assorted pre-release gameplay of Kien from the early 2000's on IGN's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPijGVE9G1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-opVqCKlYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfRViZPwHAM
Incube8 Games trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1Ul0y6ZcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuuIAX-N2SQ
Nintendo Power Issue #173 (November 2003) (Page 154 in the magazine):
https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-173-november-2003/page/154/mode/2up
Destructoid article:
https://www.destructoid.com/thrice-canceled-gba-game-kien-is-finally-getting-released-22-years-after-completion/
Engadget article:
https://www.engadget.com/possibly-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-is-finally-available-on-the-game-boy-advance-205150837.html
RPGGamer article:
https://rpgamer.com/2024/06/game-boy-advance-title-kien-released/
The Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/article/2024/jul/04/kein-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-released-after-22-years
Related Games
Final Fight One
SimCity 2000
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Donkey Kong Country 3
Super Mario Advance
One Piece: Going Baseball - Kaizoku Yakyuu
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Grand Theft Auto Advance
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
F-Zero: GP Legend
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The Bee Game
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Wolfenstein 3D
Hot Wheels World Race
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
Mother 1+2
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Donkey Kong Plus
Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar
Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue
Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel
Wing Commander
Advance Wars
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
James Pond 2: Codename - RoboCod
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Final Fantasy IV Advance
Mario Pinball Land
Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun
The Hobbit
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Phalanx
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Samurai Deeper Kyo
Tomato Adventure
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Pac-Man Pinball Advance
Activision Anthology
F-Zero Climax
Disney's The Haunted Mansion
Dexter's Laboratory: Deesaster Strikes!
Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers
Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase
Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Bit Generations: Coloris
Mega Man Battle Network 2
Sonic Pinball Party