Canceled Rare SNES RPG Project Dream leaks online, leaker blames Xbox

A playable build of Rare's canceled SNES fantasy RPG Project Dream has surfaced online, giving fans their first hands-on look at the game that eventually became the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie. On September 9, an Internet Archive user going by the username "FVCKAsha&Phil" uploaded what they describe as a "SNES proof-of-concept alpha" of Rare's canceled RPG Dream: Land of Giants, and footage of the alleged prototype running on original hardware has circulated alongside the upload. The username appears to reference current Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and former Xbox boss Phil Spencer.

The leaker says they will not share how they obtained the build so as not to get anyone in trouble, claiming only that they acquired it "from someone who got it from someone, who got it from somewhere." Their stated reason for releasing it now is anger at the state of the industry and at Microsoft specifically, which they accuse of "heartless gutting and mismanagement of Rare and other companies it controls." In the Internet Archive page hosting the build, the user also cited Microsoft's "support and approval of literal genocide in Gaza" as a motivation, along with what they called the industry's march "towards AI, layoffs, anti-preservation and ownership tactics."

The leaker framed the release as an act of preservation, writing that they want the ROM "dissected by people with far more knowledge on how to do such things," and urged others to follow suit. "I hope by releasing this, that it also inspires other people to release what they have as well," they wrote. "I know the Twelve Tales Conker 64 prototype is out there somewhere, but sadly, this is the only thing that I have." They closed with a call for readers to "delete Microsoft and Sony from your lives, install Linux," and boycott Switch Game Key Cards in favor of Nintendo Switch 2 titles that ship with the full game on the cartridge.

Project Dream has been a holy grail for Rare fans and retro game enthusiasts for decades. Development on the project started around 1995, and the public has known about the game for years, with only official snippets of gameplay from both its SNES version and a later N64 version ever shown. The project was ultimately canceled and its team redirected toward what became Banjo-Kazooie on the N64. Retro game preservation researchers have already begun examining the leaked ROM, with early analysis suggesting most of what was previously known about the game appears to be contained in the file.

The leak arrives amid a period of upheaval at Microsoft's gaming division, which has seen layoffs and studio closures across the industry. The leaker's grievances echo a broader fan sentiment that Rare, the studio behind classics like Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, and GoldenEye 007, has been underused since Microsoft acquired it in 2002. The authenticity of the build has not been independently confirmed, and the leaker's claims about how they obtained it and their stated motivations cannot be verified.

What remains unclear is whether the leak will prompt further releases of other long-lost Rare prototypes. The leaker said the Twelve Tales Conker 64 prototype exists somewhere but that they do not possess it, leaving open the question of whether other collectors will follow their example. For now, Project Dream's long-sought SNES build is publicly playable, and preservationists are working through what the ROM contains.