Development hell is an unfortunate reality in the gaming world. Falling into a sort of limbo between cancellation and development is a fate many games are destined to take. Such is the case for Rockstar's stealth-action game Agent. Rockstar initially planned to release the game exclusively on the PlayStation 3 during the late 2000s, stating that the game would be genre-defining and change the way people view video games. However, a rocky development cycle mixed with Rockstar shifting its focus on other ambitious projects pushed the game into development hell.

Rockstar billed Agent as its next big video game breakthrough. It would take players through the Cold War era of the late 1970s, focusing on stealth, espionage and political turmoil. The game gained an incredible amount of hype after its 2009 E3 announcement. Rockstar described the game as the ultimate action title and a game that would set the bar for the industry, and though it continued building hype around the game, no new information has been released for years. Eventually, Agent's development went silent, raising many questions about its development cycle.

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Information about Rockstar's new ambitious stealth title became harder to come by after its big E3 announcement. Rockstar became more elusive with its information, giving fans enigmatic statements that seemed to dance around the game's progress. After two years with very little insight on Agent’s development, then Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton revealed in 2011 that the game might no longer be a PlayStation 3 exclusive, stating that its exclusivity was up to Rockstar. This contradicted many previous statements made by both Rockstar and Sony, furthering speculation from gamers.

By the end of 2011, it was obvious that Agent was suffering from major development problems. Information became almost nonexistent, making the game seem more like a myth than an actual title. Some loyal fans thought Rockstar would launch Agent on the upcoming PlayStation 4 to show off the system's impressive technical abilities. This was proven false once the PS4 launched in 2013 with no signs of Agent anywhere in sight.

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Fans started losing hope in Agent once the eighth console generation started taking hold. Both Rockstar and Sony stopping giving updates and shifted their focus on more relevant projects. Things started growing grim until Rockstar renewed the Agent trademark in 2013. Some people believed the renewal was a telltale sign of an Agent revival. Rockstar renewed the trademark again in 2014 and once more in 2016, only to abandon it two years later. Although Rockstar never officially canceled Agent, it's safe to assume the game is as good as dead.

Agent’s legacy will always be shrouded in mystery, and it's strange to think that Rockstar would abandon a game it believed would revolutionize the entire industry. The game had a ton of potential and had some of the biggest stars in gaming (mainly the Houser brother) heading the project. Who knows? Maybe another company will purchase Agent's trademark and pick up where Rockstar left off. As unlikely as it is, stranger things have happened in the unpredictable world of gaming.

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