Stage Debut (lost build of cancelled Nintendo GameCube game; 2002-2004)

Title screen for the game.

Status: Lost

Stage Debut is a cancelled Nintendo GameCube exclusive game that was developed and published by Nintendo. It was in development from 2002 to 2004. The game was designed with the use of the Game Boy Advance's never officially released camera peripheral the GameEye (a spiritual successor to the Game Boy's Camera), which allowed players to take photos of their faces and import them into the game.

Gameplay and Features

As stated in the introduction above, players are required to take photos of their faces on the Game Boy Advance's GameEye peripheral and import them into the game using the GameCube's Game Boy Advance link cable. Then they would use the photos taken by the GameEye to import them on their character model.

The game was also said to feature characters from the Super Mario Bros., Animal Crossing and Pikmin series of games. Players could interact with them in-game if they have cards related to the game by using the Game Boy Advance's E-reader feature.

Cancellation and Availability

The game's only known public showing was at E3 2003, which demonstrated how the GameEye would transfer photos to the GameCube to be used in-game. After E3, there were no more updates on the game's progress and the game was assumed to be vaporware.

Though it was never officially confirmed, the game is widely believed to have been cancelled because the Game Boy Advance peripheral GameEye never came out. At E3 2008, Shigeru Miyamoto said that the game was "in my mind, still alive" by pointing out the game's connection between the introduction of Miis and the Mii Channel on the Wii console.

No builds of the game have been leaked to the public, and all that remains of the game are screenshots and videos taken of the demonstration at E3 2003.

Gallery

A video showing off Stage Debut at E3 2003.

Another video showing off Stage Debut at E3 2003 (with no sound).

A video of Shigeru Miyamoto discussing the history of developing Miis at a GDC 2007 conference, shows a short clip of the game at 3:50 to 4:54.

LSuperSonicQ's video on the subject.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring a Villager from Animal Crossing and a Pikmin.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring Captain Olimar from Pikmin.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring Mario, Luigi, and Bowser.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring Wario (in his Super Mario Bros. appearance) and Animal Crossing characters.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring a trivia question players enter.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring another trivia question players enter.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring a player being given clothes.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring a player being given Mario's clothes after being designated as a designer.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring a player dancing with three other characters.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Screenshot of the game featuring characters from Animal Crossing dancing.

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  Screenshot of the game.

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  Photo of the Character Creator Menu