The GTA Clone Starring Snoop Dogg That We Never Got To See
After the 2001 release of Grand Theft Auto 3, the floodgates opened for the open-world action game sub-genre.
Hoping to have the same success as Rockstar's revolutionary release, several notable publishers/developers produced GTA-like experiences of their own. Thankfully, many of those inspired games were excellent in their own right and helped push the sub-genre forward. Movie-licensed titles like The Godfather: The Game and Scarface: The World is Yours adopted the GTA 3 formula, while original IPs such as The Getaway, True Crime: Streets of L.A., and Saint's Row did the same. GTA 3's influence on gaming as a whole can still be felt to this very day.
There's one game in particular that was set to offer an alternative to Rockstar's mega hit while sticking close to the crime-ridden gameplay it thrived on. That game was Fear & Respect, a title that supposedly had everything going for it: A big-name rapper was featured in a main role, a well-respected film director assisted with its development, and it was set to launch across two console generations.
Unfortunately, gamers never got the chance to play it. Here's a brief look at the cancellation of Fear & Respect.
Fear & Respect was set up as an open-world action game starring Snoop Dogg
Fear & Respect was first announced in 2004. Its development was handled by Edge of Reality, and it was to be published by Midway.
The game's storyline was set to take place primarily in South Central L.A. and place players in the role of an "O.G." (Original Gangster). As players got embroiled in the warfare erupting between local gangs, they'd gradually acquire more respect among their cohorts and rivals. Plus they'd begin gaining even more notoriety as a feared gang member.
Snoop Dogg was featured prominently within early screenshots for Fear & Respect, and noted film director John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood) was attached to the project as a consultant. Snoop's role was actually set up as the game's main playable character, who was referred to as Goldie. Fear & Respect looked to be close in concept to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
At one point, Paramount Pictures announced plans to make a movie based on the game. Sadly, Fear & Respect never got an official release and was never given the big-screen treatment. Midway canceled the game for unknown reasons in 2006.