GTA clone that was supposed to shock with graphics. We won't find out what happened in 2 Days to Vegas ever again
In the second half of the first decade of the 21st century, many gamers believed that the Grand Theft Auto series would live to see a competitor capable of not so much putting up a fight with it, but even beating it in terms of graphical quality. However, 2 Days to Vegas was lost in the darkness of history.
There was a time when many developers and publishers wanted to have their "own GTA." Some managed to achieve that, thanks to which we could enjoy such titles as The Getaway series, Just Cause, or Saints Row. Others, however, weren't able to finish their projects, even if they seemed very promising. One of such titles was 2 Days to Vegas from Steel Monkeys studio.
Vegas, New York and more
Steel Monkeys was a British development team based in Glasgow with a branch in Belarus. The studio has been involved in games like Master Rallye, Corvette, Ultimate Baja Madness, and Post Apocalyptic Mayhem. Although the projects they created were solid, none of them even came close in terms of "caliber" to the Grand Theft Auto series. Their next title, 2 Days to Vegas, announced in 2006, was expected to bring about the change in this matter.
2 Days to Vegas would take us to the United States from the first decade of the 21st century. The main character was supposed to be Vinny, a man with a dubious past, whom we would meet at the moment he is released from prison after serving a three-year sentence. The protagonist would quickly find out that his younger brother, Tony, is in serious trouble. Without much hesitation, Vinny would rush to his rescue, becoming ensnared in a scheme involving criminal organizations that were shaking America.
(Too) photorealistic graphics
Not much is known about how the gameplay in 2 Days to Vegas was supposed to look like. The devs revealed that the main theme would be Vinny's trip to Las Vegas, for which he would get the titular two days. As the protagonist traveled, he was meant to visit other cities, with New York being the most notable.
At the time of the announcement, Steel Monkeys' game was dubbed a "GTA clone." Many players eagerly anticipated the showdown between the described game and the new, fourth installment of Rockstar Games' flagship series. The quality of the graphic design seemed to speak in favor of 2 Days to Vegas, which looked surprisingly good (if not too good).
The discussed project, however, had an uphill battle from the beginning. Work on it started in 2003, and after the closure of the studio in Glasgow that was working on it, it was transferred to the studio's branch in Minsk. In 2006, it was announced that 2 Days to Vegas would use the then-innovative AGEIA PhysX technology, which was intended to provide realistic physics in the game, as well as the SpeedTreeRT package, which allowed for a realistic appearance of plants. One of the demonstrations of its capabilities was the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This isn't the end, because in the meantime, Steel Monkeys purchased two motion capture systems to work on animations independently, without involving external teams.
Problematic development process
At the beginning, PC gamers were expected to enjoy all of this, but in 2008 it was confirmed that 2 Days to Vegas would also be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In June 2008, the version for Sony's third home console was delayed, while it was reported at that time that the PC and Xbox 360 releases were almost ready.
Nevertheless, it's possible to question if it truly happened that way, since the creators weren't quick to disclose more specifics about their project or to release materials showcasing it in action. In February 2009, IGN received confirmation from the developers that the discussed game is still in the production phase. What was the result of that? Unfortunately, not much.
Three years later, 2 Days to Vegas reappeared, through an announcement on the studio's website and its Twitter account about ongoing beta tests of the "almost ready" project of the Steel Monkeys team. The last mention of 2 Days to Vegas comes from around 2015, when it was still stated on the studio's website that the game was in development.
Uncertain future
And what happened to the Steel Monkeys team? Following the disbandment of the Glasgow team, the Minsk branch was the only one left on the industry map. Unfortunately, based on the available materials, it's hard to tell what fate befell the devs of 2 Days to Vegas. The last posts on the studio's Facebook profile are from 2017, and its website isn't even running. Nonetheless, information available on Linkedin indicates that the company is still working and employing workers. On the other hand, these might simply be outdated data, displayed on profiles that for some reason have not been updated.
Either way, there is no indication that 2 Days to Vegas will ever see the light of day. All we have to console ourselves are screenshots and tech demos, displaying character and car models, shadows, lighting, and technologies intended for the game.
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