Well, this isn't something you see every day, is it? Retro fanatic and gaming preservation guru Modern Vintage Gamer recently got hold of an original Xbox devkit hard drive that contained some curious goodies within - including a completely unreleased OG Xbox game!
Yep, this mystery hard drive held a prototype version of 'The Fast and the Furious', a PS2 and PSP title that never came out on Xbox. The project was in the works at developer Eutechnyx at the time, before the team ultimately decided against an original Xbox version of the game.
MVG speculates that the Xbox 360's 2005 launch may have halted the team's plans - after all, the PS2 version of the game launched in North America in September 2006. This date is of course a significant time after the 360's arrival, but prior to the launch of the PS3 in the region.
The old hard drive also contained a pre-release version of Ford vs. Chevy - another Eutechnyx racer that did come out on Xbox. That build was dated for right before launch, so it's safe to assume this version of the title was very close to final release.
We love these sorts of retro finds here at PX, especially when they seem to just randomly crop up in 2023! The YouTuber is looking for more information from anyone who might have worked on these projects, so if any of you out there are old Eutechnyx devs, it might be worth reaching out!