The story of *Xcavator* is a fascinating one. Originally conceived by legendary programmer Chris Oberth—best known for 1982’s *Anteater*—the game was built for the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Despite its promising beginnings, *Xcavator* never saw the light of day.
That’s about to change. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF), Mega Cat Studios, and Retrotainment Games, the never-released game has been reassembled and reimagined as *Xcavator 2025*. Making this even more remarkable, iam8bit will be putting the game on sale as a brand-new NES cartridge set to release in 2026. Yes—you read that correctly: a brand-new NES game built on an authentic NES cartridge is coming soon.
This special reveal closed out Wednesday’s Day of the Devs: The Game Awards 2025 showcase, capturing the attention of retro game enthusiasts everywhere.
Chris Oberth originally developed *Xcavator* while working at Incredible Technologies, a company known for arcade classics such as *Big Buck Hunter* and *Golden Tee Golf*. Unfortunately, no publishers expressed interest in the game at the time, leading to its shelving.
Fortunately, Oberth’s family later donated the original source code to the Video Game History Foundation. From there, VGHF collaborated with Mega Cat Studios and Retrotainment Games to rebuild *Xcavator* from the ground up.
As one representative explained, “The world wasn’t ready for it in 1991, but thanks to Oberth saving his work and to his family for getting it into archivist hands, 2026 will be the year that his work will finally see the light of day. This is an important piece of game history and we’re proud to be able to raise awareness for it with the help of everyone involved.”
The upcoming release of *Xcavator 2025* serves as both a tribute to a visionary programmer and a exciting new chapter in the legacy of NES gaming. Stay tuned for more details as the release date approaches!
https://www.shacknews.com/article/147116/xcavator-nes-cartridge-day-of-the-devs
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