Chris Oberth’s unreleased 1991 NES puzzle ‘Xcavator’ resurfaces thanks to Video Game History Foundation
In a surprise turn of events, the long-lost NES puzzle game Xcavator has been revived, as its announcement was made during the Day of the Devs 2025 showcase. Boutique publisher iam8bit has jump-started pre-orders for Xcavator 2025 for $100.
The retro throwback features a comprehensively polished version of the 1991 prototype, created by programmer Chris Oberth at Incredible Technologies, the same company responsible for titles such as Golden Tee Golf and Big Buck Hunter.
Xcavator 2025 is priced at a staggering $100 and features an authentic NES cartridge, allowing it to be played on original hardware. It also features a 14-page manual endorsed and authored by the Video Game History Foundation.
The manual not only details the game’s mechanics but also offers a deeper look into Oberth’s career, Xcavator’s tumultuous journey from fading into obscurity to its revival, and the hurdles involved in developing 8-bit games.
Back in 1991, Oberth poured his blood, sweat, and tears into creating a puzzle game where players would excavate treasures by strategically digging. Oberth pitched the game to numerous publishers but to no avail. It never ended up securing a public release.
Xcavator ended up in storage, and its source code gathered dust until Oberth’s untimely death in 2012. But there’s a silver lining to this story. Oberth’s family donated the prototype to the VGHF, a nonprofit aiming to preserve video games from fading into obscurity.
With the help of Mega Cat Studios and Retroentertainment Games, and using period-accurate development tools from 1991, the foundation transformed the unfinished prototype into a polished game, fit for a retro release in 2025.
Every cent of profit beyond manufacturing costs will go directly to the VGHF to support archiving games, researching lost titles, and the arduous process of restoring artifacts from decay. Frank Cifaldi, the founder and director of the VGHF, said:
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. The world wasn’t really ready for it in 1991, but thanks to Oberth saving his work, and to his family for getting it into an archivist's hands. 2026 will be the year that his work will finally see the light of day.
Pre-orders for Xcavator 2025 have already kicked off and will continue through January 10, 2026. Shipments will be delivered for the second quarter of 2026.
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