It appears an American football video game featuring Aliens, Predators and the ol’ pigskin called Cosmic Hard Bowl was at one point planned for the Sega Genesis, though many details surrounding the alleged game remain unknown.

Source: National Videogame Museum

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Revealed by the National Videogame Museum located in Frisco, Texas, promotional concept art was allegedly unearthed for this bizarre mash-up. The promotional materials are largely in Japanese, though one image featuring a hand drawn alien wearing a football jersey includes the caption “So you want a Genesis game with real impact?" Luckily, a translation of the remaining Japanese text was provided by a Mitch Mitchell.One image suggested the game would take place in 2702 AD, stating "Mankind [was] neutralized [in] the 400+ year war between Aliens and Predators. Now they have agreed to finalize the conflict by American Football on Earth. The Alien Football League and the Predator Football League were born and fierce battles engaged for the Super Bowl Title. There was only one new rule: the quarterback must be human."The materials also suggest each league would include six teams spread across the United States. Team names allegedly included Los Angeles Blade Runners, Houston Exterminators, San Francisco Black Catfish, New York Psychic Murders, and Miami Dolphin Creatures.It's unclear where these images came from, which developer was working on Cosmic Hard Bowl, or even if the game ever made it into full production. The Sega Genesis, branded as the Mega Drive in some regions outside North America, was released in 1989. Various Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator games were released in the following years, though perhaps the game best resembling Cosmic Hard Bowl is EA’s Mutant League Football - though it’s entirely unknown if there’s any relation.For more retro goodness, check out our list of the best retro mini consoles and this fully functional 12-inch Street Fighter 2 arcade cabinet from RepliCade.

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