Lost Populous NES Prototype Discovered After 33 Years by Games That Weren't

A significant discovery in retro gaming preservation was made recently, as archival group Games That Weren’t unearthed the long-lost NES prototype of Peter Molyneux’s acclaimed god simulation game, Populous.

Though Populous became a genre-defining title following its 1989 release by Bullfrog Productions, a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) port never officially made it to market—until now, it remained just a rumor among fans and collectors.

Games That Weren’t, renowned for its dedication to uncovering unreleased and canceled video games, announced the find via its website and social channels on March 24, 2025.

The prototype, originally developed by Enigma Variations in the early 1990s, represents a full conversion of Populous for Nintendo’s classic 8-bit hardware.

This discovery comes after 33 years spent in obscurity, and the group has now made the prototype playable through popular NES emulators such as Nestopia and MESEN. Frank Gasking, founder of Games That Weren’t, shared details about the recovery process.

The prototype was preserved earlier in the year after Gasking was approached by Mark Greenshields, CEO of Enigma Variations, and producer Darren Melbourne.

Gasking was tasked with extracting data from vintage development disks, which ultimately led to the prototype being restored and made functional.

While some technical uncertainties remain about how the data was distributed across the disks, the end result marks a major achievement for NES game preservation. According to Gasking, the NES port of Populous began development around 1992, at a time when Enigma Variations was contracted to handle the conversion.

Publisher Imagineer, however, made the decision to halt the project, believing the NES platform had reached the end of its commercial viability.

"The client decided not to proceed with publishing.

Producer Darren Melbourne shared that Imagineer saw the NES as past its prime and felt the sales wouldn't justify release.

Melbourne expressed disappointment, as significant time and effort had gone into the game's development," Gasking told Games That Weren’t. To provide further insight into this lost piece of gaming history, Games That Weren’t has released a nine-minute gameplay video on its official YouTube channel, showcasing the features and functionality of the Populous NES prototype. The recovery of Populous for the NES is a major milestone for fans of classic games, Nintendo history, and video game preservation.

This achievement underscores the ongoing work of groups like Games That Weren’t in documenting and safeguarding the legacies of canceled or unreleased titles for future generations.

NES Xbox Series X|S Peter Molyneux Populous Games That Weren't