Telltale Interview-Nothing New About King's Quest

[philthethrill]

One of the blog writers from the siliconera.com video gaming blog had an interview with Telltale. One of the questions was about King's Quest. There was not much to report. http://www.siliconera.com/2012/05/16...re-game-genre/

[Lambonius]

Ugh.

That interview only further solidifies my disgust with Telltale's approach to adventure games. Maybe it's just me, but that whole first section, where they asked him about adventure games and innovation, seems just filled with passive aggressive arrogance. "I wish Ron and Tim were doing something new," etc., etc. And again, a fundamental misunderstanding of what actually made adventure games fun. They have it half right, with the whole building a world around a story, but then he essentially says that the world exists as a backdrop for the player to be dropped in so he can have conversations with other characters. He equates "interacting with the world" to having conversations only, which of course, is the approach that Telltale has largely taken, further and further reduced in each subsequent game.

And then I love the complete lack of information on King's Quest. From those statements, it seems clear that they have no idea how the fuck they are going to reconcile their "adventure-games-for-dummies" formula with the King's Quest series and its longtime fans.

Please, Telltale. Get out of the business before you ruin King's Quest.

[BagginsKQ]

King’s Quest is one that we’ve been trying to figure out how to staff and get into production.

Do you have a vision for it?

That’s kind left for Dave Grossman and his group. We’ve certainly talked to a lot of people about it, but we really don’t have anything else to say about it right now.

They sound a bit like a chicken with its head cut off don't they?

[puzzlebox]

I think we're definitely interested in working with franchises that are currently "relevant" and getting more of that kind of stuff that's less backward and more forward-looking. We’re also interested in game franchises that need new presentation, like Telltale does.

That's the part that stood out for me... I wonder what it means for KQ. Of all the games they announced about 18 months ago, this one is the one I'm most anticipating, so really looking forward to the point where they start releasing some more info.

[FitzoliverJ]

It does rather come across like they've aquired the rights but not done much wiht them ye- hang on, since when do Telltale have history with Indiana Jones?! Telltale *staff* might, yes, but the company itself? is this just a slip of the tongue, or is there something exciting going?

[Blackthorne519]

Yeah, it's a bit disapointing. Having the IP for over a year, and not doing anything with it. If it was me, everyone would already have a game to play now.


Bt

[divisionten]

Out of curiosity, wasn't Fables the next thing that they were planning on releasing? KQ was supposed to be the LAST of those licenses to become a game (Hector, PA2, TWD, Fables, then KQ)?

Then again, I may be wrong. But if it's true, than KQ shouldn't be released for another year.

[puzzlebox]

Originally Posted by divisionten

Out of curiosity, wasn't Fables the next thing that they were planning on releasing? KQ was supposed to be the LAST of those licenses to become a game (Hector, PA2, TWD, Fables, then KQ)?

Then again, I may be wrong. But if it's true, than KQ shouldn't be released for another year.

Yep, pretty sure Fables is next and KQ is ages away.

[Blackthorne519]

Oh, goody. Let's wait a few more years to get a new King's Quest game.


Bt

[corruptbiggins]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

Oh, goody. Let's wait a few more years to get a new King's Quest game.

Way to overreact. It'll be about a year. And I seriously doubt that they've not done anything with it, there will have been a number of meetings & discussions about it, things that frankly we are not (nor should we be really) privy to.

[Irishmile]

The part where he said...

That’s kind left for Dave Grossman and his group.

Is pretty HUGE news actually... now we know who is running the show for that game... and Dave Grossman is actually a really good choice to do it... He knows what he is doing, and is actually brilliant at doing it... He is just as important to the genre as Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, Roberta Williams, Al Lowe, and Jane Jensen in my oppinion... I am actually really excited about this news.

[Macfly77]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

Dave Grossman is actually a really good choice to do it... He knows what he is doing, and is actually brilliant at doing it... He is just as important to the genre as Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, Roberta Williams, Al Lowe, and Jane Jensen in my oppinion... I am actually really excited about this news.

I picked up on the same tidbit and I fully agree. Dave is the perfect choice for King's Quest.
Color me a lot more excited!

[Blackthorne519]

Originally Posted by corruptbiggins

Way to overreact. It'll be about a year. And I seriously doubt that they've not done anything with it, there will have been a number of meetings & discussions about it, things that frankly we are not (nor should we be really) privy to.

Hah! That wasn't an over-reaction. The was mild sarcasm, at best.

I'm sure there a number of meetings and discussions, but that just means it's a game being made by committee.

"A Camel is a Horse designed by comittee."

Yeah. Doesn't bode well for King's Quest, honestly. They've been sitting on the IP for a year, and now it may be another year for the game? Great.

And while Dave Grossman is a great talent, it doesn't really assuage me at all.

Bt

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by Blackthorne519

Hah! That wasn't an over-reaction. The was mild sarcasm, at best.

I'm sure there a number of meetings and discussions, but that just means it's a game being made by committee.

"A Camel is a Horse designed by comittee."

Yeah. Doesn't bode well for King's Quest, honestly. They've been sitting on the IP for a year, and now it may be another year for the game? Great.

And while Dave Grossman is a great talent, it doesn't really assuage me at all.

Bt

Better they take their time with it than rush it, no? More time = more time to "learn" what KQ fans want and don't want, how they can adjust their own style to suit it to KQ, etc. If it was rushed, people would still complain. Every KQ game starting with KQIV took two years to come out, and in the case of Mask, it was four years.

KQ IV -1988
KQ V - 1990
KQ VI - 1992
KQ VII - 1994
KQ VIII - 1998

So a one or two year wait, especially with a company who probably realizes there's a LOT at stake and probably wants to be careful going into the series, and who is working in a series whose format is out of their comfort zone, seems reasonable.

[Blackthorne519]

Different world now. We should have at least seen or heard something. This is just someone sitting on a property, and the more I think about it - the more I feel like we're about to be spoon-fed shit and told it's candy.


Bt

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

The part where he said...

Is pretty HUGE news actually... now we know who is running the show for that game... and Dave Grossman is actually a really good choice to do it...

perhaps.

perhaps he's the best choice at Telltale to do it. Then again, perhaps he's not the best in the business as LucasArts' style of games is different than Sierra Online's.

Originally Posted by Lambonius

Ugh.

[...] I love the complete lack of information on King's Quest. From those statements, it seems clear that they have no idea how the fuck they are going to reconcile their "adventure-games-for-dummies" formula with the King's Quest series and its longtime fans.

I agree.


Personally, what would make me feel a lot better is if Telltale said they were going to bring Roberta, Josh Mandel and/or Al Lowe in on the project. Until they do this, color me skeptical.

[MusicallyInspired]

We've already been through this when KQ was first announced. We've had the conversation about Dave Grossman's game design philosophy and how it's completely different from what King's Quest always was. (something about designing games for his grandmother to play easily, I believe it was) Why are we having this conversation again?

[Chyron8472]

Because, as the OP points out, there is nothing new to talk about.

[Blackthorne519]

LOUD NOISES!!!!


Heh. It's true. We don't have anything new to talk about. I guess my enthusiasm is just starting to wane under the strain of hearing or seeing nothing for a whole year, and then getting this little bit of bitter rhubarb rubbed under my nose.


Bt

[Lambonius]

I just think that Telltale literally has no clue what to do with King's Quest. I don't think they are intentionally keeping their awesome plans under wraps or anything. I literally think they don't know what they are going to do with this series, and that they have probably been somewhat stymied by the nearly universal skepticism surrounding their ability to do this franchise justice. This will be a failure of epic proportions. Mark my words.

Also, Dave Grossman may have WORKED on some great adventure games back in the day, but his own words about Telltale's approach to adventure games prove that the guy is fairly out of touch with what most fans actually enjoyed about those old games. Him leading the KQ team is of no comfort whatsoever.