Capcom · PlayStation · 1997 · Cancelled ~60–80% complete; leaked 2013
The scrapped first version of Resident Evil 2, thrown out when its own creators judged it simply "no fun" and rebuilt from scratch into the 1998 classic.
Directed by a young Hideki Kamiya and produced by series creator Shinji Mikami, "Resident Evil 1.5" is the fan nickname for the original build of Resident Evil 2, in development between April 1996 and February 1997. It paired rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy not with Claire Redfield but with a biker named Elza Walker, and featured different environments, more weapons, and expanded escort sequences set largely inside the police station and surrounding city. Despite reaching an estimated 60–80% completion and nearing a planned 1997 release, Mikami made the drastic call to cancel it — famously remarking that no single element was bad, "just everything as a whole" felt unexciting. The team rebuilt the game entirely, and the reimagined Resident Evil 2 (1998) became one of the most acclaimed survival-horror titles ever made. A half-finished 1.5 build leaked online in 2013 after years in private collectors’ hands, and modders have since assembled increasingly complete restorations.