Development hell

Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media- and software-industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic challenges.^[1] A work may move between many sets of artistic leadership, crews, scripts, game engines, or studios. (The related terms production hell and production limbo refer to situations in which a film has begun production but has remained unfinished for a long time without progressing to post-production.)

Some projects enter development hell because they were initially designed with ambitious goals, the difficulty of meeting those goals was underestimated, and attempts to meet those goals have repeatedly failed.

But the term is also applied more generally to describe any project that has unexpectedly stalled in the planning or design phase, has failed to meet its originally expected date of completion, and is languishing in those phases for what is seen as an unreasonably long time.

Many projects that enter development hell are gradually abandoned by the involved parties and are never produced.

^ Doyle, Barbara Freedman (2012). Make Your Movie: What You Need to Know About the Business and Politics of Filmmaking. Waltham, Massachusetts: Focal Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-240-82155-9. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[Doyle_Page_55-1] Doyle, Barbara Freedman (2012). Make Your Movie: What You Need to Know About the Business and Politics of Filmmaking. Waltham, Massachusetts: Focal Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-240-82155-9. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

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