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The Daily Grind: Do you follow MMOs because of their designers?
An interesting Kill Ten Rats article a few weeks ago pondered the idea that gamers purchase games because those games are "by the makers of" some other game -- to their doom. Much ado, for example, was made over WildStar's dev team because of its members' work on World of Warcraft, and names like Jake Song, Brad McQuaid, and Mark Jacobs carry a lot of weight when attached to a new MMO title. Yet star power doesn't necessarily make for a good or successful game, especially if that famous designer wasn't directly responsible for whatever it was that made an old game great. Akaneiro is still a mess with or without American McGee's tag. What about you? Do you buy MMOs based on the past work of individual developers? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Spicy Horse downsizes, Akaneiro put studio $1.7 million in debt
American McGee's Spicy Horse has downsized its Shanghai studio and is focusing its remaining staff on The Gate, a card-collecting, real-time strategy game – in the meantime, the team developing Akaneiro: Demon Hunters has been reduced from 15 people to two. Akaneiro raised $204,680 on Kickstarter in February 2013 and it's out as an Early Access game on Steam. "In total, around 360 man-months have gone towards development, bringing our investment in dollars to nearly $2 million USD," McGee writes in a Kickstarter update. "In that same period, we've generated roughly $300,000 USD in revenue – this includes funds collected via the Kickstarter campaign, F2P purchases in-game, and one-time purchases via Steam. In simple math: We've spent $2 million, we've made $300,000, we're 'in the hole' $1.7 million." McGee says the two people assigned to Akaneiro will continue addressing bugs and working toward multiplayer and tablet support, but development will be slower. If The Gate provides the cash flow Spicy Horse needs, it will return attention to Akaneiro, he says: "Life as an independent developer is filled with the constant threat of failure. This isn't the first time in our eight-year history we've faced this sort of challenge. It's not the first time we've had to reduce staff on one of our games. It is different because of the demand for transparency that comes with being a part of Kickstarter. In providing transparency like this, I am asking for your understanding and I am hoping for your support." In 2013, Spicy Horse canceled its attempt to Kickstart OZombie, a twisted take on The Wizard of Oz universe, but it successfully Kickstarted Alice: Otherlands, a project that aims to make animated films of the Alice games, to the tune of $222,377.
Alice: Otherlands Kickstarter successful
The Alice: Otherlands crowdfunding campaign successfully jabberwocky'd off with $222,377. The Kickstarter by game designer American McGee sought to purchase the film rights to the Alice games, which are owned by Collision Entertainment. "The funding will allow us to create a series of animated short films, pursue larger animated series possibilities, begin development work on a feature film and access larger funding options for a possible feature film production in the future," said McGee in a Kickstarter update. McGee's course correction to use the more popular Alice series for Kickstarter came after an unsuccessful (and eventually canceled) attempt to crowdfund OZombie, a darker vision of L. Frank Baum's OZ. That project concluded with $141,513 raised by 2,607 backers of a $950,00 goal.
American McGee's Grimm darkens Steam's Greenlight
Now that American McGee's Grimm has reached Steam Greenlight, it's seeking community votes in order to rewrite fairy tales into tragedies on Windows and Mac via Steam. Grimm's 23 episodes last a half hour apiece and revolve around twisting iconic fairy tales into bleak, dreary scenarios. Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk are among Grimm's victims. Players spread gloom by moving Grimm around each world, working to reach an acceptable level of grime within the shortest time possible. The Grimm series originally launched for Windows in July 2008.
American McGee looks for help snaring Alice: Otherlands film rights
American McGee wants to bring Alice back, but in a new form: as an animated film. A fresh Kickstarter from McGee's studio, Spicy Horse, seeks to purchase the film rights to the Alice games, which are owned by Collision Entertainment, a group of Hollywood producers, McGee tells VG24/7. All the negotiations are done, and now all McGee needs is the cash. The Alice: Otherlands Kickstarter asks for $200,000 and promises, at a minimum, "an animated adventure into Otherlands," with a big-screen adaptation of Otherlands as a long-term goal. The film's premise remains the same as its game counterpart, starring Alice as she roams London, entering the Wonderlands within other people's heads on a quest to defeat an encroaching evil. She may enter the mental landscapes of people such as Jules Verne, Thomas Edison, Jack the Ripper, Mark Twain, Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, for example. The Kickstarter covers film only, not the production of another Alice game; those rights are still tied up at EA. The campaign follows Spicy Horse's cancelled Kickstarter, OZombie, which raised $141,513 of its $950,000 goal and had three weeks remaining. McGee stopped that project to take advantage of the Alice film opportunity. There's a limited window for McGee to purchase the film rights from Collision Entertainment; once that time expires, the rights will enter the open market. Collision approached McGee first, a move the group didn't have to make. "This is a kindness on their part – they could have gone straight to market and highest bidder, but they told me they think the rights belong with the creator of the property – me," McGee says. "I think they're right about this. I'd hate to see the rights end up in the hands of some faceless corporation or other entity with no emotional connection to the property."
American McGee's OZombie Kickstarter canceled, Alice movie Kickstarter begins later this week
American McGee's Spicy Horse development studio is abandoning its Kickstarter for OZombie, a twisted take on L. Frank Baum's novels. The project had 2,607 backers and raised $141,513 of a $950,00 goal, with approximately three weeks to go. "The Oz campaign has to end. There are two realities driving the decision. First, we're facing a challenge with the Alice film rights," wrote McGee on the campaign's Kickstarter page. "Second, we wouldn't consider shutting down the Oz campaign if it were trending towards success. As it is, we've reached 15 percent of our goal with 20 days left in the campaign. Projections suggest we'll hit 30 percent of our goal by campaign end. I've been telling myself to remain optimistic and see this thing through – but when the reality of our funding trend is combined with the pressure of the Alice film rights situation..." What Alice film rights? Well, turns out that McGee isn't thinking about a third game for his darker take on Alice in Wonderland, but about some kind of animated short or film. "For Oz, we can always launch another campaign in the future. On the other hand, the Alice film rights are only within reach during a rapidly closing window of opportunity. We'll sacrifice Oz today in order to have a real chance with Alice." McGee continued, "Now we turn our attention to Alice. Securing these film rights would be nothing short of a major coup. We'd control a significant portion of Alice's future. Being able to produce animations, feature films and related merchandise means keeping Alice's world fresh, no matter what else might happen with the game portion of the property. I hope you'll join us in making this a reality." That Kickstarter is scheduled to start later this week.
American McGee launches OZombie Kickstarter, Alice still on his mind
American McGee's Spicy Horse development studio has picked a game for Kickstarter that's been pickling in pre-production for a while: OZombie for PC, Mac, Linux and latest-gen tablets. It's a twisted take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (the books, not the movie), starring the Scarecrow as the former king of Emerald City, exiled and mentally tortured. Series author L. Frank Baum describes the Scarecrow as "the wisest man in all Oz," after all – and now he's the most evil. Players will take control of Dorothy's great-great-granddaughter, alongside the Tin Woodsman and the Lion, to fight the Scarecrow and his army. OZombie is a single-player-centric game, with a multiplayer mode unlocked after completing the main campaign. It features multiple game modes, spanning RPG, tactical combat and exploration, and has a narrative focus. Spicy Horse is looking for $950,000 in the OZombie Kickstarter, and it has 41 days to get there. In one day, it's raised around $60,000. Earlier this year, Spicy Horse said it would launch a Kickstarter for either OZombie or Alice: Otherlands, American McGee's next foray into the Alice universe. The Alice license is tied up at EA following the launch of Alice: Madness Returns in 2011, and Spicy Horse is negotiating to get it back. Spicy Horse has started pre-production on Alice: Otherlands already. "I won't stop trying to make new Alice games," McGee writes in a Kickstarter update. He continues: "We're still having meaningful and productive conversations with EA regarding Alice. Truth is, it's an important bit of IP for them and for us (and for you!) which means that negotiating a deal is going to take time."
EA, Spicy Horse to settle on Alice rights (or not) by July
Spicy Horse's negotiations with EA for the rights to the Alice franchise – and production of Alice: Otherworlds – continue, with the proceedings now expected to conclude in some fashion by July. "It still comes back to our negotiations with Electronic Arts for a licensing agreement to produce a new Alice title," the company said in a newsletter, speaking on whether it would produce Alice: Otherworlds or OZombie first. "Should we reach an agreement, then come July, it's full steam ahead on a Kickstarter for Alice. If we cannot, to Oz with Dorothy we shall go." Either way, Spicy Horse's next project will be funded through a Kickstarter in July, though the developer won't be announcing which project is actually going forward until the campaign launches.
American McGee's Spicy Horse working on a shiny new Oz game
Spicy Horse, the studio founded by Alice creator American McGee in 2007, is working on a game based on The Wizard of Oz – but it's not American McGee's Oz, the game that was canceled in 2004 when publisher Atari pulled funding. "This is not, in any way, shape or form, the title from 2004," Spicy Horse Community Manager Kelly Heckman tells Joystiq. The new Oz game is still in its early stages, and Spicy Horse has yet to decide which genre it will be – strategy, puzzler, platformer, action, FPS – though the studio has a few ideas. The game will be cross-platform between tablets and PC, Mac and Linux, and while Spicy Horse likes the idea of a physical product, it has no concrete plans in that regard. "It will be based on the entire Oz series – almost all 14 titles – so expect to see unique things not seen in previous incarnations," Heckman says. As legend has it, nearly a decade ago McGee began crafting a Wizard of Oz game, but Atari canceled it in 2004, after producing a handful of action figures and concept art. McGee went on to found Spicy Horse and partnered with EA to launch Alice: Madness Returns in 2011. Spicy Horse is currently in talks with EA to retrieve the Alice license, and it has plans for a third game in the series, Alice: Otherlands. Spicy Horse is working on two Kickstarters – one for Alice: Otherlands and one for Oz – but which project actually goes live will depend entirely on EA and how that Alice deal goes down, Heckman says. Yesterday on the Facebook page for Alice: Otherlands, one fan suggested that if Spicy Horse couldn't work out the Alice rights with EA, it should develop "that Oz title instead." Spicy Horse responded, "It's already in the works."
Alice: Otherlands is seriously considering Kickstarter, plans a video
American McGee's Spicy Horse development studio is getting serious about this Kickstarter idea for the third Alice installment, Alice: Otherlands. A Facebook page started in April contains multiple mentions of Kickstarter, potential rewards and teases about "hush-hush" negotiations with EA. Spicy Horse is now working on a Kickstarter video for Alice: Otherlands and it wants an existing Alice cosplayer to star in it. The shoot is scheduled for June in Shanghai, China, Spicy Horse's home base. "This contest does not mean the 'Otherlands' project will definitely happen – we're still working on deal-making, which could stall or fall through altogether," Spicy Horse cautions at the end of its announcement. For now, check out some of the early art for Alice: Otherlands and keep those Vorpal Blades crossed. Alice: Otherlands features Alice in London, where she invades the minds of passersby and plays around in thousands of diverse, mental Wonderlands, McGee told us during GDC. He envisioned it not as a AAA game, but as an online, cooperative, cross-platform experience between tablets and browsers – but that was before EA had a say.
New Alice game probably won't be AAA, features Alice in 'Otherland'
Spicy Horse – namely Alice series founders American McGee and RJ Berg – is pitching a new Alice game to EA this week, following a Facebook poll to gauge player interest in "Alice 3" as a concept and a Kickstarter project. Spicy Horse is ready to roll on a new game: something online, cooperative and with user-generated content, all spanning different platform access points.EA controls the Alice franchise and Spicy Horse wants to leverage its own burgeoning game distribution platform, which focuses on Android tablet-browser cross-play. This means the new game probably won't be a AAA project, Berg tells Joystiq at GDC."Probably a AAA title, as the previous two have been, is not the first priority of EA right now," Berg says. "We have to construct a very strong idea of how that presentation might run, but it's up to them to pick up on the opportunity."McGee and Berg have a clear narrative outline for the new Alice game, throwing Alice onto the streets of London and into the minds of everyone she passes. "Right now the idea is Alice in 'Otherland,'" McGee says. "It's her invading the minds of other people and visiting their Wonderlands, and using what she's learned about her own mental landscape to go in and harm or heal the people she encounters. It means that the streets of London become the portals into 1,000, 10,000 amazing, different stories."McGee says Spicy Horse has the story, ideas, technology and wherewithal to make a new Alice game, and it's up to EA to take this opportunity. "The burden is really on them. It always is. Hopefully we can be charming enough."
American Mcgee gauges interest in Alice 3
American McGee could be pursuing another title in the Alice series. McGee posed a few question to Alice fans on Facebook yesterday. Specifically, he asked if fans were interested in a third game in the series, assuming he could acquire the rights from EA, and whether or not they would consider backing a Kickstarter for such a project.He further asked fans to "make some noise" if they are interested in the idea. "I'm trying to gauge interest in case I happen to discuss this with EA during GDC in 2 weeks," he wrote. "The more interest there is, the more seriously they'll take the conversation."Earlier this year, McGee decried Electronic Arts' marketing of 2011's Alice: Madness Returns (pictured), saying it gave gamers the false impression that it was a hardcore horror game. Should he reacquire the rights, this won't be his first Kickstarter project. McGee and his studio, Spicy Horse, recently (and barely) funded Akaneiro: Demon Hunters via the crowdfunding service.[Thanks, Jeff!]
Rise and Shiny: Akaneiro: Demon Hunters
We're not all of us perfect. We all make mistakes, right? I did last week when I didn't vet my choice for Rise and Shiny and picked Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, a single-player game with optional co-op, a game that is not only not finished but still on Kickstarter. I'm not sure how I did it, but I think it had something to do with an email I received that talked about how good the game was. In my desperation to find something new and original to play, I grabbed this one and ran with it. American McGee's studio, Spicy Horse Games, is behind the project, so that's another reason to get excited. Luckily, the game has many great features and could, one day, feature an MMO-like option. It's also a good choice for those who enjoy games like Drakensang Online or Diablo. But there are some less exciting aspects to the game too, so you know I'll be covering those.
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters Kickstarter just clears goal
Spicy Horse and American McGee's Akaneiro: Demon Hunters Kickstarter squeaked in under the wire. Closing on February 2, the drive ended at $204,680, just surpassing its goal of $200,000. In an update, McGee told supporters that backer rewards will go out as soon as possible, starting with in-game items for Akaneiro. He also stated that Spicy Horse will be looking into a possible Ouya version of the game. As for the success of the project, he said simply, "I'm going to go fall over."The Windows, Mac and browser versions of the free-to-play action RPG are available now, with a Steam version expected later this month. Android and iOS versions are also planned.
American McGee apologizes for EA 'trick' comment
Alice and Alice: Madness Returns creator American McGee clarified comments he made yesterday about EA's marketing strategy. McGee, who said EA wanted to 'trick' people into perceiving Madness Returns as hardcore horror, apologized to the publisher on his blog today. McGee does maintain the publisher is somewhat at fault for the game's poor sales."Allow me to expand on my original post," McGee wrote, "while at the same time making a correction (call it a retraction if you like). 'Tricked' is the wrong word. I take that back. Apologies to EA and anyone else whose feelings were hurt. Electronic Arts doesn't trick customers into buying things. They carefully apply proven marketing techniques to achieve the desired customer response. If they were bad at this sort of thing they'd have been crushed by their competitors long ago and you'd be playing Madden Football from Activision or Atari or something."McGee then noted that, while Madness Retuirns does include a lot of what's in the trailers in question, the developer felt its marketing didn't portray the Alice character correctly, and made out "blood and guts" to be the game's primary selling point. However, he conceded all of the blame can't be placed at the publisher's doorstep."I can't and don't fully fault them or their marketing for whatever the Alice games might or might not have done sales-wise. As a developer, do I grumble into my beer about how it could have been different if only...? Sure do! But I also recognize my own faults, and actions which are to blame for things not being 100 percent... or for inadvertently igniting firestorms."
American McGee AMA: EA ads for Alice were a 'trick'
American McGee, the man (and name) behind Alice: Madness Returns and its predecessor, has a lot to say about developing those games, working with EA, and Kickstarting his latest venture, Akaneiro: Demon Hunters. His recent Ask Me Anything thread on Reddit reveals a few gems, including some insight into how EA handled the Alice: Madness Returns trailers with animation company Shy the Sun. Spoiler: McGee isn't a fan of EA marketing."What was frustrating was how EA marketing interfered - telling STS from the start that all creative direction and final say would come from them, not from us (the developer/creator of the story/tone)," McGee writes. "That resulted in trailers that were much darker and gorier than the game, and that was a calculated disconnect created by EA. They wanted to 'trick' gamers into believing A:MR was a hardcore horror title, even though we refused to develop it in that tone."Their thinking is, even if the game isn't a hardcore horror title, you can market it as one and trick those customers into buying it (while driving away more casual customers, like female gamers, who might be turned off by really dark trailers). It's all a part of the race to the bottom EA, Activision and the other big pubs are engaged in. Expect to see it get worse before it gets better."How's that for dark? McGee notes that his Spicy Horse studio is the largest Western, independent game development company in China, and he discusses how he ended up there and the stress of maintaining a successful indie studio."Working as an indie means having a terrifying amount of freedom," McGee writes. "We make decisions that we know might simply put us out of business 6 months from now."For more insight into how Alice came about – The Crystal Method's "Trip Like I Do" had something to do with it – and all things McGee, check out the Reddit AMA.
Alice creator American McGee turns to Kickstarter for Akaneiro: Demon Hunters
American McGee, the man behind Alice, Grimm, and most recently Alice: Madness Returns, is the latest prominent developer to try out Kickstarter. McGee and his Shanghai-based Spicy Horse studio are seeking $200,000 in funding for Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, a free-to-play action RPG detailing the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but with a Japanese slant.The more modest sum compared to some of the big names of last year reflects on Akaneiro having already been in development for around one and a half years. According to the Kickstarter page, Spicy Horse needs the money to provide Android and iOS ports in addition to the already planned PC and Mac versions, cross-platform support, co-op multiplayer, community support, and an equipment crafting system. The page also lists potential stretch goals including two new expansions, a Linux version, a player versus player arena, and guild creation.Spicy Horse collaborated with EA to release Alice: Madness Returns in 2010, but McGee since said that will be the studio's last physical release in light of much better returns from F2P games like Akaneiro. In the video on the Kickstarter page, McGee says his studio's goal is now to "deliver console-quality content to mid-core gamers, and to do this without having to rely on traditional publishers" and that "Akaneiro is the result of those efforts."
First Akaneiro: Demon Hunters shots put the color back in Little Red
American McGee's Akaneiro: Demon Hunters puts a fairytale spin on Japanese mythology, then puts all that in a blender with a box of Crayolas. The first screens for Akaneiro traverse the Shigemori River, showing Little Red with a bow, axe and fireball powers. This ain't your mom's bedtime story.%Gallery-168659%
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters beta pits Little Red Riding Hood against Yokai in feudal Japan
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, the next game from American McGee's Spicy Horse, is holding beta sign-ups right now via its official site. First, we suggest checking out the first-ever gameplay trailer above to get a feel for the hand-painted, dungeon-crawling, demon-slaying action.Akaneiro is a free-to-play ARPG that tells the story of Little Red Riding Hood, set in feudal Japan. As a member of the Order of Akane, Red must rid the Hokkaido village of the invading Yokai, demons inspired by Japanese folklore.After the launch of Alice: Madness Returns with EA last year, McGee has left behind traditional console development to create free-to-play, browser-based games such as Big Head Bash, and now, Akaneiro. Sign up for the beta here.
American McGee on F2P, Ouya and his 'acceptable' experience with EA
American McGee's Spicy Horse studio is shrugging off the madness of console development to create free-to-play, browser- and cloud-based games such as Kongregate's Big Head Bash. This move follows Spicy Horse's partnership with EA to launch Alice: Madness Returns last year as a mainstream, boxed and digital title. Alice was Spicy Horse's last foray into the physical space, McGee tells Game Informer."Our studio wouldn't consider going back to traditional console development, but I do think we'll end up being in the right place when consoles come back to us," he says. "By that I mean we fully expect the definition of 'console' to shift radically over the next two years. Our consoles will become our mobile devices (Or if you prefer: Our mobile devices will become our consoles)."Spicy Horse has already seen a larger return on investment from its free-to-play games than Alice ever produced, or likely ever will. This is the future, McGee says, and static games locked to specific physical media will be unable to compete with always-updating, fluid titles in the free-to-play universe.
