The History of Pitfall: The Lost Expedition — Pitfall Harry’s Last Expedition

From its inception to its last breath, here’s the history of Pitfall: The Lost Expedition

In the annals of gaming history, there was an era that shimmered with promise and limitless potential. It was a time when 3D platformers reigned supreme, captivating the hearts and imaginations of players worldwide. But as the fifth generation of consoles drew to a close, a question lingered in the air: could the magic be sustained?

The sixth generation of consoles was a pivotal era when developers and publishers sought to carry the torch of success, igniting the industry with their creative genius. The stage was set, and these visionaries were ready to push the boundaries of what was thought possible.

While the genre celebrated the rebirth of beloved 2D games in stunning 3D landscapes, such as Maximo, Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, and Dragon’s Lair 3D, the genre of 3D platforming found itself facing a formidable challenge. As the era unfolded, the dominance of Open-World and First-Person Shooter genres began to cast a shadow over the once-untouchable 3D platformers.

Amidst this shifting landscape, the dedication and boundless creativity of developers who poured their souls into crafting these magnificent 3D platformers found themselves fighting for recognition. As sprawling open worlds beckoned players with their immersive experiences and adrenaline-fueled first-person shooter epics enthralled the masses, the charming allure of 3D platformers faced an uphill battle.

Among some of the games that haven’t managed to find the success they deserve was Pitfall: The Lost Expedition. A high-class re-imagining of the iconic Pitfall series that first captured the hearts of players on the Atari 2600. So, join me on this voyage through time as we unravel the history of Pitfall: The Lost Expedition. From its humble startup to its valiant struggle for recognition amongst the heated competition, we pay homage to the developers who dared to breathe new life into a beloved franchise.

Chapter 1: Origins

Transporting us back to the late 1990s, Activision emerged as a powerhouse, reaping the rewards of a series of triumphs with their published titles. From the adrenaline-fueled Quake II to the gravity-defying Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, the chilling Nightmare Creatures, and the stealthy Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, Activision had firmly established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

Buoyed by this resounding success, Activision was determined to maintain their momentum and vie for dominance amidst industry giants. With a burning desire to compete at the highest level, they set their sights on the challenge of delivering games that would leave an indelible mark.

As the highly anticipated launch of the PlayStation 2 loomed on the horizon, and the gaming industry embraced the rise of blockbuster-like experiences, the sixth generation of consoles presented a fertile ground for publishers to explore new IPs and breathe life into beloved franchises using the captivating 3D magic formula.

In the midst of this gaming renaissance, every publisher had their sights set on introducing new IPs to the world. Activision, a prominent player in the industry, was no exception. As the year 2003 unfolded, Activision had a strategic lineup in store.

First, they unleashed the inaugural instalment of their groundbreaking Call of Duty franchise, a game that would go on to become a financial powerhouse, shaping the company’s fortunes for decades to come. Building upon this success, Activision followed up with the highly anticipated Tony Hawk’s Underground, captivating skateboarding enthusiasts and pushing the boundaries of the genre. Additionally, they ventured into the streets of Los Angeles with the ambitious and now-forgotten True Crime: Streets of LA.

Amidst the flurry of notable releases, a nostalgic resurgence was quietly taking shape. A beloved game from yesteryears was preparing to reclaim its glory, emerging once again onto the forefront of the sixth generation of consoles. And the torchbearer for this remarkable revival? None other than the talented team at Edge of Reality.

Equipped with a group of highly skilled and talented developers such as Richard Ham, Mike Panoff, Jason Moulton, and Danny Matson, the revival of Pitfall held immense promise. While Activision officially announced the game at E3 2003, the precise starting point of its development remains a tantalizing mystery. When exactly did this exciting project begin to take shape behind closed doors? What’s the story behind the game’s development as a whole? I will answer that in the next chapter.

Chapter 2: The Making

To find answers to all of these questions, I’ve reached out to Richard Ham directly. And to my surprise, he was kind to answer them.

According to Richard Ham, the game’s development may have begun as early as late 2001 or early 2002. He recalled joining the company in April 2001, with the team already immersed in various ongoing projects. And within half a year after he joined, Edge of Reality secured a contract with Activision to make a new instalment in the Pitfall franchise, alongside the simultaneous development of porting The Sims to consoles.

In the early stages of its development, Pitfall underwent a significant title change. Originally known as Pitfall: Return to the Jungle, Edge of Reality decided to rebrand it as Pitfall Harry. This initial title was utilized in the game’s marketing materials, including magazines, the E3 trailer, and gaming websites. However, a few months before the official launch, Activision made the decision to alter the title to Pitfall: The Lost Expedition.

Delving deeper into the matter, avid researchers at the Hidden Palace website discovered two demo discs of the game. The first demo was released on June 23, 2003, followed by another on November 16, 2003. Remarkably, both demo discs prominently displayed the title Pitfall Harry on the title screen, indicating that this was initially intended to be the official title of the game. The reason behind Activision’s decision to change the title from Pitfall Harry to Pitfall: The Lost Expedition remains shrouded in mystery. While the original title may have felt more fitting to some, the exact rationale for the alteration remains unknown.

Continuing with the history of the game, the original concept for Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, presented by Richard Ham and the team to Activision back then, differed significantly from the final product. Instead of a cartoonish, family-friendly game, their initial pitch aimed for a hardcore and action-packed adventure experience, similar to what the Uncharted series became. The focus was to be on pure exploration, featuring encounters with giant scorpions, dinosaurs, and supernatural entities. Notably, there were no human enemies or firearms in this original concept, as the team’s emphasis was on delivering a game about adventure and discovery.

Activision on the other hand, did not want such a game. What they wanted is their own mascot. A cartoonish, family-friendly game that would directly rival Nintendo’s juggernaut, Super Mario. Basically, their aim was to develop their own Mario Killer. And while this aim was too ambitious, and didn’t come into fruition, it remains a fascinating piece of the history of video games.

Despite the cancellation of the original concept for Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, the dedicated developers at Edge of Reality pressed on, determined to deliver a compelling 3D platformer that would resonate with both loyal Pitfall fans and newcomers to the series. Undeterred by the change in direction, their commitment remained unwavering as they worked to create an engaging gaming experience that would capture the essence of the Pitfall franchise. This is explored in an old IGN interview with Richard Ham and Christopher Hewish. It says the following:

Our primary goal was to create a game that appeals to Pitfall fans and casual gamers alike; something that would draw people to the screen just as the original Pitfall did. With this quasi-realistic approach, the world of Pitfall feels like a real place — not an imaginary fantasy jungle, but at the same time, it’s been “turned up a notch” beyond reality. June 14, 2003.

In order to create the best Pitfall game available, developers drew inspiration from a diverse range of games spanning the 8-bit era to the sixth generation of consoles. Titles such as the original Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Sonic, Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Tomb Raider, and numerous others served as sources of inspiration. The game, Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, skillfully amalgamates these different ideas into a cohesive whole, ultimately resulting in an excellent gaming experience.

In addition to video games, developers also drew inspiration from various shows within the Pixar universe, such as Toy Story. This influence played a significant role in shaping the overall appearance of the characters, the atmosphere of the game, and the incorporation of a family-friendly adventure.

Of course, the transformation of these ideas into a tangible reality would not have been possible without the development of a robust in-house engine by the skilled team at Edge of Reality. This custom-built engine served as the cornerstone of the game’s creation, enabling the developers to bring their vision to life. However, for specific physics-related elements, such as realistic movements and interactions, the developers turned to the Havok engine to achieve the desired level of fidelity. This is explored in one of the oldest interviews by GameZone.com with co-lead designer Justin Leingang. It says:

The game uses a proprietary engine, created at
Edge of Reality. For environment lighting, we use a combination of adaptive discontinuity meshing and light maps. In addition, we use dynamic point lights for real-time lighting effects, like those on Harry’s character.

Now let us jump into a compilation of cut content which user Cicada discovered after contacting Richard Ham. What was discovered is worth reading about.

Cut Content:

The developers at Edge of Reality had the desire to incorporate numerous exciting ideas into the game, but they faced challenges due to time constraints and technical limitations. One of the coolest gadgets that didn’t make it into the game was a Pogo stick. This gadget would have allowed Harry to reach inaccessible areas that couldn’t be reached on foot or through other means. Although the Pogo stick seemed fantastic on paper, the developers at Edge of Reality were unsatisfied with how it was controlled in execution. They wanted the experience to be fun rather than frustrating, and thus the decision was made to remove it from the game.

Furthermore, the game initially included plans to incorporate a boomerang alongside the sling. However, the boomerang was ultimately removed from the game during development.

Among the various cut content and altered gameplay mechanics, one significant change was the removal of Pitfall Harry’s ability to auto-lock on and strafe backwards.

Another notable change can be observed in the design of Harry’s health meter. Early screenshots depicted heart-shaped icons representing his health, but in the final game, these were replaced with orange egg-shaped icons. The exact reason for this alteration remains unknown, but it is possible that the developers simply opted for a different visual representation, deviating from the traditional heart-shaped icons.

Delving into the extensive material on the cut content of Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, it becomes evident that the game’s developers had envisioned various mechanics that didn’t make it into the final version. One notable example was the possibility of players being afflicted by snake venom, resulting in a gradual decline in their health. To counter this, players would have needed to locate and use an antidote to halt the health depletion. However, these two were ultimately excluded from the game. Additionally, numerous other planned features failed to make their way into the final product. Including these:

Of course, only a few of the cut content elements were mentioned, but it is worth noting that there were numerous other pieces of content that did not make it into the final game. These examples provided a glimpse into the development process, where difficult decisions were made to ensure the game achieves the desired level of quality and delivers the intended gameplay experience.

After a development period of nearly three years, Pitfall Harry’s journey culminated in the release of Pitfall: The Lost Expedition in 2004. The game launched across multiple platforms, including PC, GameCube, the original Xbox, GBA and the PS2. Debuting in a competitive era that saw the emergence of several iconic titles, A question lingered in the air: How did Pitfall: The Lost Expedition perform both financially and critically at the time? We explore this in the next chapter.

Chapter 3: The Struggle

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition faced challenges in standing out amidst fierce competition during its 2004 release. Various factors have contributed to the game’s struggle in finding a substantial audience at the time. One significant factor was the declining popularity of 3D platformers, as players were gravitating towards blockbuster experiences such as 007 Everything or Nothing, immersive role-playing ventures like Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance II, and captivating sci-fi epics like Metroid: Zero Mission. Adding to the difficulty, players were eagerly awaiting highly anticipated titles like Metal Gear Solid 3, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and several other releases at the time that overshadowed Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, resulting in its placement in the shadows.

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition was not the only game facing challenges during that period. Other promising 3D platformers such as Vexx, Billy Hatcher, Maximo vs Army of Zin, and I-ninja also struggled to find a substantial audience, despite being well-regarded games. The overall decline in the popularity of 3D platformers played a significant role in the game’s underperformance, despite receiving modest critical acclaim.

In an effort to rescue Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, Activision made several attempts to save it from fading into obscurity. They released three episodic mobile iterations exclusively on Java platforms and also launched an improved version of the game on the Wii four years after. Unfortunately, these efforts proved to be futile as the year 2008 witnessed the release of highly anticipated and critically acclaimed games such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and many others. The intense competition from these blockbuster titles further overshadowed Pitfall’s revival attempts.

Ultimately, Pitfall: The Lost Expedition did fade into obscurity, but it has not been completely forgotten. Over the years, a dedicated community for the game has emerged, refusing to let it be overlooked. Even today, fans continue to delve into new content related to the game and strive to bring it back into the spotlight. While the chances of an official sequel may be slim, there is always the possibility that the indie gaming scene might attempt to create a spiritual successor, keeping the spirit of Pitfall alive for future generations.

Pitfall: The Lost Expedition was not a failure or a bad game. Its main setback was being released during a time when it faced tough competition and struggled to find its audience. Maybe if Activision initially approved the first pitch by Edge of Reality, the game would have stood a chance at that time. Or perhaps if Pitfall: The Lost Expedition had received the same marketing as their juggernaut Call of Duty franchise, Pitfall: The Lost Expedition may have stood a chance.

The game is now long far gone. However, with the current trend of remakes and remasters, Activision may consider remastering the game for modern consoles and PC. Until such a time arrives, fans will have to wait patiently for any potential revival of the game.

End.

Video Version