Byteswap Labs has revealed that it is working with Piko Interactive to complete and release Dragon Sword, a cancelled N64 and PlayStation title from the late '90s / early 2000s.
Developed by Interactive Studios Limited – a company founded by The Oliver Twins, which would be re-named Blitz Game Studios in 1999 – Dragon Sword (also known as Dragon Sword 64 at one point) began life as a Zelda-style fantasy adventure before turning into a more straightforward hack-and-slash outing, very much like Sega's Golden Axe.
The game was originally announced in 1997 by publisher MGM Interactive. In November 1998, it was revealed that it would launch on Nintendo 64, PC and PlayStation but would be exclusive to the N64 for six months.
In 2001, following positive previews in UK magazines, MGM Interactive decided not to publish the game due to doubts over its commercial potential, which led to its ultimate cancellation – despite being almost complete.
In 2009, Philip Oliver was asked if the game could be released digitally, to which he replied:
Dragon Sword was a great game at the time, but it was a third person battling game. There would be no point bringing that back as it would just look aged.
In 2019, Piko acquired the rights and source code to Dragon Sword. Working alongside Byteswap Labs and Bleem.net, the plan is to release the game on PC in 2024.