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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."
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."
Alice: Madness Returns' 'Online Pass' grants you Alice 1 (it's $10 otherwise)
"I should very much like to tell you of Project Ten Dollar," pleaded Alice. "Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense," replied The Mock Turtle. EA has confirmed that the original American McGee's Alice will be bundled as a downloadable bonus with Alice: Madness Returns when it's released on June 14. The catch is that the download will be tied to an "Online Pass," EA's special name for access to its games' online components, which are unlocked with registration codes included in new copies of the games. Additionally, players will be required to have the Madness Returns disc in the tray to access Alice 1. If you purchase Madness Returns used (and without an unused Online Pass code), you'd have to pay $10 for the downloadable bonus. This marks the first time that the original Alice will be available on consoles. It will not be available on XBLA or PSN as a separate purchase -- at least, not immediately.
Metaphors: Alice stabs one-eyed monster in latest trailer
Lewis Carroll's seminal Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is certainly packed with metaphors, but we think none so explicit as this Alice: Madness Returns clip that has the heroine cutting up the Mad Hatter's one-eyed monster.
American McGee on bringing Alice's madness back
At a pre-TGS event, EA demonstrated gameplay of Alice: Madness Returns, with a segment in real-world London transitioning to a Wonderland in which Alice used a pepper grinder as a Gatling gun, fighting weird baby-doll monsters and giant teapots that spat boiling tea. After bearing witness to the return of the madness, we chatted with American McGee, head of developer Spicy Horse, about the new game, his name as a brand, and, of course, the other recent reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, courtesy of Tim Burton. %Gallery-102210%
'Alice: Madness Returns' revealed [update: new screens, video]
Twitter account @thewhiterabbit is teasing news related to "the mad world of Alice," a note that EA's own Twitter account relayed. This is about 100 percent likely to be the announcement of Alice: Madness Returns, the sequel to American McGee's Alice. For one thing, the background of the Twitter page includes the "alicemadnessreturns.com" URL, which currently redirects to EA.com/alice. "Alice: Madness Returns" was trademarked earlier this year by EA, and an Alice sequel was announced way back at DICE 2009, followed that year by an "unofficial" Alice-related video produced by someone with ties to developer Spicy Horse. EA is holding a press event in about ten minutes to announce several games, so we'll find out soon enough! Unless, like the White Rabbit, EA is late. Update: It's official, and the game is coming in 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Catch the terrifying teaser after the break, and the press release here. %Gallery-97858%
'Alice: Madness Returns' trademarked by EA
Electronic Arts has submitted a trademark application for "Alice: Madness Returns," a possible name for the previously announced sequel to American McGee's Alice. Beyond an "unofficial" teaser video for the sequel released in late 2009, details on the project have been slimmer than the Queen of Hearts' soldiers. We've contacted EA for info on what's down the rabbit hole.
DICE 2009: EA announces American McGee's Alice 2
According to a tweet from Geoff Keighley from the ongoing DICE summit, EA CEO John Riccitiello has just revealed a sequel to American McGee's Alice, coming soon. Details are slim -- in fact, we just told you all of them right now -- but we can assume that Alice 2 will have American McGee's name on the cover, and will probably be another third-person action game that takes elements from the Alice in Wonderland story and makes them all edgy and gothy. We will pass along actual (i.e. non-conjectured) information as soon as it is available. Update: While we've never known Keighley to not be a man of his word, official evidence is always welcome. EA adds that the Alice sequel is in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 by American McGee's Spicy Horse studio. Says EA Partners GM David DeMartini: "EA Partners is ready to help [American McGee] bring his innovative vision for the franchise to even darker, more exciting places."
