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| name = ''The Cutting Room Floor''
| name = ''The Cutting Room Floor''
| logo = TCRFLogo.png
| logo = TCRFLogo.png
| screenshot = The Cutting Room Floor Main Page.png
| logo_size = 150
| logo_size = 150
| website = {{URL|https://www.tcrf.net/|tcrf.net}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.tcrf.net/|tcrf.net}}
| content_licence = [[CC BY 3.0]]
| content_licence = [[CC BY 3.0]]
| owner =
| owner =
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2002|df=yes}} (original form)<br>{{start date|2010|2|2|df=yes}} (current form)
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2002|df=yes}} (original form)<br>{{start date and age|2010|2|2|df=yes}} (current form)
| revenue =
| revenue =
| type = [[Wiki]]
| type = [[Wiki]]
| founder = Robert Flory
| founder = Rachel Mae
| key_people = Xkeeper<ref name="Edge" />
| key_people = Xkeeper<ref name="Edge" />
}}
}}
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== History ==
== History ==
''The Cutting Room Floor'' was started by Robert Flory in 2002 as part of a blog.<ref name="Edge">{{cite magazine|title=The Explorers: The gaming archaeologists digging through the code you were never meant to see|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-explorers-inside-the-underground-world-of-the-archaeologists-who-dig-through-the-code-game-developers-never-wanted-you-to-see/|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|accessdate=28 March 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218131752/http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-explorers-inside-the-underground-world-of-the-archaeologists-who-dig-through-the-code-game-developers-never-wanted-you-to-see/|archivedate=18 February 2014|date=16 December 2013}}</ref> It mainly focused on [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] games,<ref name="About">{{cite web|title=The Cutting Room Floor:About|url=https://tcrf.net/The_Cutting_Room_Floor:About|website=The Cutting Room Floor|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> and was occasionally updated.<ref name="Edge"/> In the late 2000s, Alex Workman, better known as Xkeeper, reworked the site into a [[wiki]], which launched on 2 February 2010.<ref name="About"/> The site has since specialised in what gaming media, including ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' and ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'',<ref name="Edge"/><ref name="Wired"/> have likened to video game archaeology;<ref name="Tedium">{{cite web|url=https://tedium.co/2016/06/16/hidden-content-video-games-cutting-room-floor/|title=A Link to the Past: Unused Content in Video Games|author=Smith|first=Ernie|date=16 June 2016|website=Tedium|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708184606/https://tedium.co/2016/06/16/hidden-content-video-games-cutting-room-floor/|archive-date=8 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/hackers-uncover-long-lost-super-mario-bros-2-enemy-453986.phtml|title=Hackers uncover long lost Super Mario Bros. 2 enemy|author=Peterson|first=Joel|date=10 August 2017|website=[[Destructoid]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030105903/https://www.destructoid.com/hackers-uncover-long-lost-super-mario-bros-2-enemy-453986.phtml|archive-date=30 October 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3472708/check-unused-bloodborne-content/|title=Check Out This Unused 'Bloodborne' Content!|author=Wilson|first=Mike|date=3 December 2017|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720063442/https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3472708/check-unused-bloodborne-content/|archive-date=20 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> ''[[Kotaku]]'' described them as "routinely responsible" for it.<ref name="Kotaku">{{cite web|url=https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/03/29/the-people-obsessed-with-uncovering-gamings-deepest-darkest-secrets|title=The People Obsessed With Uncovering Gaming's Deepest, Darkest Secrets|last=Yarwood|first=Jack|date=29 March 2016|website=[[Kotaku]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/QIdYc|archive-date=16 May 2016|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> Its members analyse video game code and content using various tools, such as [[debugger]]s and [[hex editor]]s,<ref name="Edge"/> and if something interesting is found, an "uncover" starts.<ref name="Tedium"/> According to Xkeeper, the site's members co-operatively analyse their findings to work out how to re-enable content.<ref name="Tedium"/> The site's goal is to catalogue "as many deleted elements as possible from all sorts of games".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.outsidexbox.com/articles/2013-12-31-discover-the-deleted-scenes-from-your-favourite-games|title=Discover The Deleted Scenes From Your Favourite Games|last=Channell|first=Mike|date=31 December 2013|website=Outside Xbox|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105081842/http://www.outsidexbox.com/articles/2013-12-31-discover-the-deleted-scenes-from-your-favourite-games|archive-date=5 January 2014|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref>
''The Cutting Room Floor'' was started by Rachel Mae<ref name="The Cutting Room Floor">{{cite web|title=User:Rachel Mae|url=https://tcrf.net/User:Rachel_Mae|website=The Cutting Room Floor|accessdate=17 December 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218035457/https://tcrf.net/User:Rachel_Mae|archivedate=18 December 2022}}</ref> in 2002 as part of a blog.<ref name="Edge">{{cite magazine|title=The Explorers: The gaming archaeologists digging through the code you were never meant to see|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-explorers-inside-the-underground-world-of-the-archaeologists-who-dig-through-the-code-game-developers-never-wanted-you-to-see/|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|accessdate=28 March 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218131752/http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-explorers-inside-the-underground-world-of-the-archaeologists-who-dig-through-the-code-game-developers-never-wanted-you-to-see/|archivedate=18 February 2014|date=16 December 2013}}</ref> It mainly focused on [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] games,<ref name="About">{{cite web|title=The Cutting Room Floor:About|url=https://tcrf.net/The_Cutting_Room_Floor:About|website=The Cutting Room Floor|accessdate=28 March 2018|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025134256/https://tcrf.net/The_Cutting_Room_Floor:About|url-status=live}}</ref> and was occasionally updated.<ref name="Edge"/> In the late 2000s, Alex Workman, better known as Xkeeper, reworked the site into a [[wiki]], which launched on 2 February 2010.<ref name="About"/> The site has since specialised in what gaming media, including ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' and ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'',<ref name="Edge"/><ref name="Wired"/> have likened to video game archaeology;<ref name="Tedium">{{cite web|url=https://tedium.co/2016/06/16/hidden-content-video-games-cutting-room-floor/|title=A Link to the Past: Unused Content in Video Games|author=Smith|first=Ernie|date=16 June 2016|website=Tedium|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708184606/https://tedium.co/2016/06/16/hidden-content-video-games-cutting-room-floor/|archive-date=8 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/hackers-uncover-long-lost-super-mario-bros-2-enemy-453986.phtml|title=Hackers uncover long lost Super Mario Bros. 2 enemy|author=Peterson|first=Joel|date=10 August 2017|website=[[Destructoid]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030105903/https://www.destructoid.com/hackers-uncover-long-lost-super-mario-bros-2-enemy-453986.phtml|archive-date=30 October 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3472708/check-unused-bloodborne-content/|title=Check Out This Unused 'Bloodborne' Content!|author=Wilson|first=Mike|date=3 December 2017|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720063442/https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3472708/check-unused-bloodborne-content/|archive-date=20 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> ''[[Kotaku]]'' described them as "routinely responsible" for it.<ref name="Kotaku">{{cite web|url=https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/03/29/the-people-obsessed-with-uncovering-gamings-deepest-darkest-secrets|title=The People Obsessed With Uncovering Gaming's Deepest, Darkest Secrets|last=Yarwood|first=Jack|date=29 March 2016|website=[[Kotaku]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160516235435/http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/03/29/the-people-obsessed-with-uncovering-gamings-deepest-darkest-secrets|archive-date=16 May 2016|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> Its members analyse video game code and content using various tools, such as [[debugger]]s and [[hex editor]]s,<ref name="Edge"/> and if something interesting is found, an "uncover" starts.<ref name="Tedium"/> According to Xkeeper, the site's members co-operatively analyse their findings to work out how to re-enable content.<ref name="Tedium"/> The site's goal is to catalogue "as many deleted elements as possible from all sorts of games".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.outsidexbox.com/articles/2013-12-31-discover-the-deleted-scenes-from-your-favourite-games|title=Discover The Deleted Scenes From Your Favourite Games|last=Channell|first=Mike|date=31 December 2013|website=Outside Xbox|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105081842/http://www.outsidexbox.com/articles/2013-12-31-discover-the-deleted-scenes-from-your-favourite-games|archive-date=5 January 2014|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref>


In December 2013, ''Edge'' considered ''The Cutting Room Floor'' to be the largest and best-organised catalogue of unused video game content.<ref name="Edge"/> Around this time, the site had 3,712 articles.<ref name="Edge"/> In June 2016, Xkeeper said that the website has largely avoided copyright issues.<ref name="Tedium"/> Amongst the more noted discoveries are the secret menus in the ''[[Mortal Kombat (franchise)|Mortal Kombat]]'' games,<ref name="Kotaku"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/02/decades-later-players-are-still-unlocking-secrets-in-classic-mortal-kombat/|title=Decades later, players are still unlocking secrets in classic Mortal Kombat|author=Orland|first=Kyle|date=24 February 2016|website=[[Ars Technica]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724152809/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/02/decades-later-players-are-still-unlocking-secrets-in-classic-mortal-kombat/|archive-date=24 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombats-secret-menus-discovered-20-years-la/1100-6435107/|title=Mortal Kombat's Secret Menus Discovered 20 Years Later|author=Paget|first=Mat|date=25 February 2016|website=[[GameSpot]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102927/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombats-secret-menus-discovered-20-years-la/1100-6435107/|archive-date=28 March 2018|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> and ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' prototype, which was "extensively" catalogued and what ''The Cutting Room Floor'' moderator GoldS considers the site's most important article.<ref name="Edge"/><ref name="Tedium"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/5719184/a-rare-look-at-what-the-legend-of-zelda-used-to-be|title=A Rare Look At What The Legend of Zelda Used To Be|author=McWhertor|first=Michael|date=27 December 2010|website=[[Kotaku]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/uzViB|archive-date=11 March 2020|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> ''The Cutting Room Floor''{{'}}s community are reported to have paid 700 dollars for an unreleased [[Nintendo DS]] ''[[Tetris]]'' prototype.<ref name="Tedium"/> A coding error in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' that changed the behaviour of the Spiny eggs also made the gaming press.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/42586/new-error-found-in-super-mario-bros|title=New Error Found In Super Mario Bros.|author=Theriault|first=Donald|date=24 April 2016|website=Nintendo World Report|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730153256/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/42586/new-error-found-in-super-mario-bros|archive-date=30 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> In May 2018, ''Kotaku'' and ''[[Eurogamer]]'' reported on a ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'' [[Unused Pokémon in the 1997 Pokémon Gold and Silver demo|prototype and its assets]] that had been documented on the website.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/old-pokemon-gold-and-silver-demo-shows-features-that-n-1826459725|title=Old Pokémon Gold And Silver Demo Shows Features That Never Made It|author1=Jackson|first=Gita|date=31 May 2018|website=[[Kotaku]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/Jp03v|archive-date=1 June 2018|accessdate=19 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-05-31-pokemon-designs-leak-from-gold-and-silver-demo|title=20 years later, fans uncover never-before-seen Pokémon left on the cutting room floor|author1=Phillips|first=Tom|date=31 May 2018|website=[[Eurogamer]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302065242/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-05-31-pokemon-designs-leak-from-gold-and-silver-demo|archive-date=2 March 2019|accessdate=19 August 2018}}</ref> Other material catalogued include hidden messages,<ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/05/hidden-messages/|title=The Funny, Occasionally Dirty, Hidden Messages in Your Favorite Games|author=Kemps|first=Heidi|date=May 2013|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|url-access=limited|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215110853/https://www.wired.com/2013/05/hidden-messages/|archive-date=15 February 2016|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> as well as regional and revisional differences, such as differences between versions and ports.<ref name="MakeUseOf">{{cite web|url=https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-useful-interesting-video-game-websites-youve-never-heard/|title=4 Useful and Interesting Video Game Websites You've Never Heard Of|author=Ben Stegner|first=Ben|date=30 May 2014|website=MakeUseOf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328104233/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-useful-interesting-video-game-websites-youve-never-heard/|archive-date=28 March 2018|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref>
In December 2013, ''Edge'' considered ''The Cutting Room Floor'' to be the largest and best-organised catalogue of unused video game content.<ref name="Edge"/> Around this time, the site had 3,712 articles.<ref name="Edge"/> In June 2016, Xkeeper said that the website has largely avoided copyright issues.<ref name="Tedium"/> Amongst the more noted discoveries are the secret menus in the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' games,<ref name="Kotaku"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/02/decades-later-players-are-still-unlocking-secrets-in-classic-mortal-kombat/|title=Decades later, players are still unlocking secrets in classic Mortal Kombat|author=Orland|first=Kyle|date=24 February 2016|website=[[Ars Technica]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724152809/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/02/decades-later-players-are-still-unlocking-secrets-in-classic-mortal-kombat/|archive-date=24 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombats-secret-menus-discovered-20-years-la/1100-6435107/|title=Mortal Kombat's Secret Menus Discovered 20 Years Later|author=Paget|first=Mat|date=25 February 2016|website=[[GameSpot]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102927/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombats-secret-menus-discovered-20-years-la/1100-6435107/|archive-date=28 March 2018|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> and ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' prototype, which was "extensively" catalogued and what ''The Cutting Room Floor'' moderator GoldS considers the site's most important article.<ref name="Edge"/><ref name="Tedium"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/5719184/a-rare-look-at-what-the-legend-of-zelda-used-to-be|title=A Rare Look At What The Legend of Zelda Used To Be|author=McWhertor|first=Michael|date=27 December 2010|website=[[Kotaku]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200311212231/https://kotaku.com/a-rare-look-at-what-the-legend-of-zelda-used-to-be-5719184|archive-date=11 March 2020|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> ''The Cutting Room Floor''{{'}}s community is reported to have paid 700 dollars for an unreleased ''[[Tetris DS]]'' prototype.<ref name="Tedium"/> A coding error in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' that changed the behaviour of the Spiny eggs also made the gaming press.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/42586/new-error-found-in-super-mario-bros|title=New Error Found In Super Mario Bros.|author=Theriault|first=Donald|date=24 April 2016|website=Nintendo World Report|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730153256/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/42586/new-error-found-in-super-mario-bros|archive-date=30 July 2019|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> In May 2018, ''Kotaku'' and ''[[Eurogamer]]'' reported on a ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver]]'' [[Unused Pokémon in the 1997 Pokémon Gold and Silver demo|prototype and its assets]] that had been documented on the website.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/old-pokemon-gold-and-silver-demo-shows-features-that-n-1826459725|title=Old Pokémon Gold And Silver Demo Shows Features That Never Made It|author1=Jackson|first=Gita|date=31 May 2018|website=[[Kotaku]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180601035629/https://kotaku.com/old-pokemon-gold-and-silver-demo-shows-features-that-n-1826459725|archive-date=1 June 2018|accessdate=19 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-05-31-pokemon-designs-leak-from-gold-and-silver-demo|title=20 years later, fans uncover never-before-seen Pokémon left on the cutting room floor|author1=Phillips|first=Tom|date=31 May 2018|website=[[Eurogamer]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302065242/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-05-31-pokemon-designs-leak-from-gold-and-silver-demo|archive-date=2 March 2019|accessdate=19 August 2018}}</ref> Other material catalogued include hidden messages,<ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/05/hidden-messages/|title=The Funny, Occasionally Dirty, Hidden Messages in Your Favorite Games|author=Kemps|first=Heidi|date=May 2013|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|url-access=limited|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215110853/https://www.wired.com/2013/05/hidden-messages/|archive-date=15 February 2016|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref> as well as regional and revisional differences, such as differences between versions and ports.<ref name="MakeUseOf">{{cite web|url=https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-useful-interesting-video-game-websites-youve-never-heard/|title=4 Useful and Interesting Video Game Websites You've Never Heard Of|author=Ben Stegner|first=Ben|date=30 May 2014|website=MakeUseOf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328104233/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-useful-interesting-video-game-websites-youve-never-heard/|archive-date=28 March 2018|accessdate=28 March 2018}}</ref>


== See also ==
==See also==
{{Portal|Video games|Computer programming}}
{{Portal|Video games|Computer programming}}
* [[Cutting room floor]]
* [[Cutting room floor]]


== References ==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Wikis}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutting Room Floor (website), The}}
[[Category:Video game websites]]
[[Category:Video game websites]]
[[Category:Wiki communities]]
[[Category:Wiki communities]]
[[Category:MediaWiki websites]]
[[Category:MediaWiki websites]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2002]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2010]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 19:14, 18 May 2024

The Cutting Room Floor
Type of site
Wiki
Founder(s)Rachel Mae
Key peopleXkeeper[1]
URLtcrf.net
Launched2002; 22 years ago (2002) (original form)
2 February 2010; 14 years ago (2010-02-02) (current form)
Content licence
CC BY 3.0

The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF) is a website dedicated to the cataloguing of unused content and leftover debugging material in video games. The site and its discoveries have been referenced in the gaming press.

The site started out as part of a blog but was reworked and relaunched as a wiki in 2010. The reworked site is considered by Edge to be a major catalogue of unused video game content.

History

[edit]

The Cutting Room Floor was started by Rachel Mae[2] in 2002 as part of a blog.[1] It mainly focused on Nintendo Entertainment System games,[3] and was occasionally updated.[1] In the late 2000s, Alex Workman, better known as Xkeeper, reworked the site into a wiki, which launched on 2 February 2010.[3] The site has since specialised in what gaming media, including Edge and Wired,[1][4] have likened to video game archaeology;[5][6][7] Kotaku described them as "routinely responsible" for it.[8] Its members analyse video game code and content using various tools, such as debuggers and hex editors,[1] and if something interesting is found, an "uncover" starts.[5] According to Xkeeper, the site's members co-operatively analyse their findings to work out how to re-enable content.[5] The site's goal is to catalogue "as many deleted elements as possible from all sorts of games".[9]

In December 2013, Edge considered The Cutting Room Floor to be the largest and best-organised catalogue of unused video game content.[1] Around this time, the site had 3,712 articles.[1] In June 2016, Xkeeper said that the website has largely avoided copyright issues.[5] Amongst the more noted discoveries are the secret menus in the Mortal Kombat games,[8][10][11] and The Legend of Zelda prototype, which was "extensively" catalogued and what The Cutting Room Floor moderator GoldS considers the site's most important article.[1][5][12] The Cutting Room Floor's community is reported to have paid 700 dollars for an unreleased Tetris DS prototype.[5] A coding error in Super Mario Bros. that changed the behaviour of the Spiny eggs also made the gaming press.[13] In May 2018, Kotaku and Eurogamer reported on a Pokémon Gold and Silver prototype and its assets that had been documented on the website.[14][15] Other material catalogued include hidden messages,[4] as well as regional and revisional differences, such as differences between versions and ports.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Explorers: The gaming archaeologists digging through the code you were never meant to see". Edge. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  2. ^ "User:Rachel Mae". The Cutting Room Floor. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b "The Cutting Room Floor:About". The Cutting Room Floor. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b Kemps, Heidi (May 2013). "The Funny, Occasionally Dirty, Hidden Messages in Your Favorite Games". Wired. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Ernie (16 June 2016). "A Link to the Past: Unused Content in Video Games". Tedium. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  6. ^ Peterson, Joel (10 August 2017). "Hackers uncover long lost Super Mario Bros. 2 enemy". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  7. ^ Wilson, Mike (3 December 2017). "Check Out This Unused 'Bloodborne' Content!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  8. ^ a b Yarwood, Jack (29 March 2016). "The People Obsessed With Uncovering Gaming's Deepest, Darkest Secrets". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  9. ^ Channell, Mike (31 December 2013). "Discover The Deleted Scenes From Your Favourite Games". Outside Xbox. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  10. ^ Orland, Kyle (24 February 2016). "Decades later, players are still unlocking secrets in classic Mortal Kombat". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  11. ^ Paget, Mat (25 February 2016). "Mortal Kombat's Secret Menus Discovered 20 Years Later". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  12. ^ McWhertor, Michael (27 December 2010). "A Rare Look At What The Legend of Zelda Used To Be". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  13. ^ Theriault, Donald (24 April 2016). "New Error Found In Super Mario Bros". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  14. ^ Jackson, Gita (31 May 2018). "Old Pokémon Gold And Silver Demo Shows Features That Never Made It". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  15. ^ Phillips, Tom (31 May 2018). "20 years later, fans uncover never-before-seen Pokémon left on the cutting room floor". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  16. ^ Ben Stegner, Ben (30 May 2014). "4 Useful and Interesting Video Game Websites You've Never Heard Of". MakeUseOf. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
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