Back in 1991, there was a game being developed at Incredible Technologies, the company behind coin-op classics such as Golden Tee Golf, Big Buck Hunter, and more; however, it never got to see the light of day until now. Iam8bit has announced a partnership with the Video Game History Foundation, Mega Cat Studios, and Retrotainment Games to bring legendary programmer Chris Oberth’s long-lost NES game Xcavator back to life with the upcoming release of Xcavator 2025 (NES Cartridge).
The one-of-a-kind premium release will come with a classic gray NES cartridge of the game iam8bit worked with Retrotainment to produce, and a brand-new 14-page manual that offers further insights into the game, authored by Oberth and the team at the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF). The game is available to pre-order for $100 until January 10 on the official iam8bit website. The physical game is expected to ship in Q2 2026. 1oo percent of the profits will go to supporting the VGHF’s mission to preserve and celebrate the history of video games.
Xcavator is able to get released after the original source code was donated by Oberth’s family to the VGHF. They partnered with Mega Cat Studios to rebuild the game. redible Technologies agreed to donate the rights to the VGHF to preserve the game IP and aid the charity’s fundraising for its work within the video games industry. Now, the game is finished, staying true to Oberth’s original vision, using the same tools that would’ve been used to fully develop the game back in 1991.
“The original Xcavator prototype is a rare glimpse at the struggles of an indie developer trying to break into the console industry during the 8-bit golden age,” said Frank Cifaldi, founder and director of the Video Game History Foundation. “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.”