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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.
Spicy Horse's Oz game is OZombie: 'If I only had some brainsss'
Spicy Horse's Oz game combines the undead with "an Oz not of our remembering" – it's called OZombie, and it stars Dorothy, Toto, the Lion and the Tin Woodsman. The Scarecrow, who always wanted brains, is cast as the villain in this iteration, and instead of carrying around a basket, Dorothy gets a repeater. Spicy Horse is unsure which game it will make next, OZombie or Alice: Otherlands, and it all depends on whether the studio can regain the Alice rights from EA. If Spicy Horse and EA work out a good deal, then Alice it is. If not, OZombie gets the green light and probably a Kickstarter. "Actually, the more I think about it – and the more I see/hear feedback from you guys – the more I'm personally leaning towards Oz," Spicy Horse founder American McGee writes on the OZombie Facebook page. "There's so much fun stuff to explore, so many interesting characters and locations to discover. Wonderland will also be there, if not today, if not the next project, then perhaps the one after that?" Keep in mind (and mind your brains) that OZombie is entirely separate from American McGee's Oz, the game Atari canceled in 2004.
