Step 1: Prototype collector acquires prototype. This is usually done through a contact that the collector has in the industry, as many of the high end prototype collectors used to be in the industry themselves. Other ways include buying off ebay (usually at high cost if it is interesting enough), or from other prototype collectors (again, usually at high cost). Having never purchased through underground contacts, I have no idea what it costs to go that route.
Step 2: Advertise the prototype. There are many message boards where high end collecting is popular, but only a handful of people can actually afford prototypes. Whether or not the owner of the prototype actually advertises it himself (and don't get me wrong, this is a dominantly male hobby) is beyond the point. This usually degenerates into a pissing match between those who own the prototype, those who can afford prototypes but not the one in question, those who can't afford prototypes but respect the fact that the owner has the right to do whatever they want with it, those who would like it preserved and distributed for the greater good of the community (whether at cost or free), and those who really don't give a shit about the prototype, but want it released because they are jealous that someone has something they don't. These threads generally degenerate quickly and usually drag DreamTR's name in the mud (being the most prominent prototype collector). Eventually the thread gets closed after very little actual insight into the prototype.
Step 3: If the prototype garners enough interest, it will eventually be released to the public. There are several ways this can happen. In the past, it was quite common for people to step up and get the ROM image dumped from the collector so that it can be made into an article (good examples of these websites include
NESWorld,
Lost Levels, and of course SNES Central). Having never been involved in a process, I assume some monetary agreement was reached, but never publicized. Now a days, with the advent of websites like Nintendo Age, it seems the trend is for prototype owners to take public donations in exchange for releases of the ROM. Usually, the cost of releasing the ROM reaches well into the hundreds of dollars. Sometimes, the ROMs are modified before release to "protect" the investment of the owner. Another method to recoup money include making reproductions. This itself is is a pretty high end method of distribution, as the reproductions themselves become collector's items, often getting to the point of being worth more than the original prototype. These two methods are to protect the "investment" of the owners, who believe the perceived value of the prototype decreases if the ROM is released. Whether or not that is true is up in the air, as the prototype collecting market is so small.
Step 4: The ROM is out there, and ready to be played. Aside from a few rare cases (ie StarFox 2, NES Earthbound), the majority of people will get the prototype ROM, celebrate, play it for five minutes, realize it is crap, and never touch it again. The sad part is many of the limited edition reproductions are of shitty games, and are only purchased for the collect-ability. After the ROM is released, all the people who were demanding a release get what they want, but after realizing that for the most part the games are of interest are only of academic interest, the interest disappears.
I make this post a day after I released a prototype of Final Fantasy III. I'm a bit disappointed at the lack of response to such a unique prototype, as Final Fantasy III is one of the most popular games in video game history. The differences are minor between the prototype and the final version, but imagine the uproar there would have been had the owner held up the release. The biggest response happened to be from the Final Fantasy hacking forum,
Slick Productions, who were very interested in the changes and had the tools available to make them easy to find. Considering that I posted this in a few of the most trafficked video game web forums on the internet, I was a bit surprised the only the only website that picked up this article was the Brazillian video game blog
Retro Fantasy. Personally, I think what happened is that most people are not interested in prototypes, only that people have something rare that they don't have access to.
Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of sites out there that make webpages documenting these prototypes, or if they exist I am unaware of them. I'm making a bit of a call out here, hopefully no one is offended. I am doing this because I feel that with this flurry of interest in prototypes, there is not enough effort to document them for prosperity, and that their history will be lost. I try my best with SNES prototypes and unreleased games, and I will make articles for any prototype entrusted to me.
Lost Levels have done some really in depth articles, but their last one was in 2006. Their articles on California Raisins, Final Fantasy II (NES), Sunman, Earthbound (NES) and Sonic X-treme are examples of how unreleased games articles should be done.
NESWorld has done several great prototype articles, my favorite being Congo for the SNES. Anyone who remembers the debacle surrounding Escape of Atlantis (and how TRM managed to steal the ROM from from Martin) should note that drama and prototypes have always gone hand-in-hand. I was saddened that there isn't even a page on Escape of Atlantis on NESWorld.
Hidden Palace has done some great ROM releases, making sure to include screenshots with every release, but minimal commentary on the actual game. DRX's big Sega release with 1024 ROMs stands as being the most impressive thing ever done for the community.
X-Cult has their heart in the right place, but they conduct themselves like a bunch of raving lunatics. Unfortunately, they do little original research (aside from some hacking of commercially released games searching for things that are not in-game), instead usually taking things off other websites, removing watermarks as necessary. As such, they are little more than a bunch of collectors themselves, who could probably benefit by learning some tact. I won't pretend to understand or delve into the whole Sonic 2 Beta thing.
Unseen64 is a great Unreleased and beta video game blog, and probably the most comprehensive website when it comes to such things. As is common with blogs, though, the majority of content is taken or summarized off of other websites (including SNES Central, though it should be noted that I gave them permission).
Nintendo Age has published some great articles on unreleased game in their E-zine. I personally prefer creating websites than making articles for a magazine that can only be viewed by people registered on the forum, just for a broader reach. Many of the prototypes released their do not get any special articles, however. Generally, releases get a forum post, the people get thanked, and that is the end.
Eludevisibility.org/ has done some great ROM releases during the past year, including unreleased games like Powerslide and Mr. Bloopy. I believe Matthew Callis' goal is mainly to provide information on ROMs for the SNES, and as such has not made really in depth articles on this.
Atari Protos.com was the website given to me when I asked about Atari unreleased and prototype games. If you ask me, this is exactly how things should be done. Each game is given a nice page describing the prototype along with screenshots and any differences that go along with the games. I applaud Atari Protos.com for your awesome website!
Assemblergames.com forum is a great discussion place for obscure items, but it lacks any real website to document anything (though I seem to recall there used to be, for some reason). I'll always prefer a static website to a message forum for documenting things, just to keep it organized. Still, there is some cool stuff there, including a Super FX dev board and a great thread on the SNES CD.
Digital Press forum on prototypes is usually where someone will post something cool, and by page two or three it degenerates into a flame war between "hoarders" and "people who want the ROM for free... I mean preserved". It is unfortunate, because it could really be a good place for constructive conversation.
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Well, there is my rant. I'll admit that more often than not I have descended into the "preservation" crowd, and have stoked some flames. I'd like to publicly apologize to DreamTR, as I think he gets more shit than he deserves on the message boards. I'd like to call out to all those in the scene who do their best to document and release information on prototypes and say that I love your efforts. I'm sure this post will inevitably lead to flame wars, as the egos in this community are very large. Personally, I think it is important to have information available on static websites and shared openly so that these unique pieces of pop culture will live on for years to come.
