Potential License suggestions

[jp-30]

Waaaay back, a year ago actually, Brendan Q Fergusson (remember him?) posted this blog and invited comments on

I'd love to hear suggestions for licenses that you think would make for a great adventure style game...

And as it's been a year, and the forum is now the preferred discussion area, may I continue where we left off last July?

Firstly I will say that I am really looking forward to Telltale's first wholly original adventure game. I do sympathise with those who don't like licensed games, but that is probably partially because of the multitude of crappy movie tie-ins we get these days. Mind you there were plenty of crappy movie tie-ins back in the old days too. ET on the 2600. Rambo on the C64. Die Hard.

Anyway I digress. I have just uncovered what would be an amazing license. Amazing I tells you. Set in an established, rich fantasy world. An existing fanbase. A highly respected organisation. And a new movie & spinoff TV series in the works...

" 'The Dark Crystal' created its own world. We are now going to fully explore this universe through the sequel film, which will be followed up with an animated series as well as interactive games and other media," said Lisa Henson." (May 2005)
(Source: Darkhorizons.com)

Any of you Telltale Guys work on LucasArts Labyrinth adaptation back in dark-ages? (also a Henson license, for those not familiar with that game / movie).

Anyway, I see what you're doing with Bone, and man, if all this Dark Crystal stuff happens as that site is reporting, that would be an amazing setting for a new series of adventure games.

[artwking]

Concerning licenses, I would rip off JP's arm and savagely beat him with it for a Futurama adventure game.

I mean... I would use it to pet kittens. O

No particular reason that it would be you and your arm, JP. But you're right there. You know how it is. b-(





I am just kidding about dismembering, of course.

[jp-30]

Hell, if you ripped off one arm for a Futurama adventure game, I'd rip off my other one and learn to use my right foot to control a mouse & pick my nose.

Futurama's being rerun here from season one, and due to terrible scheduling in the past I'm seeing episodes for the first time.

An adventure game series would be wonderful and help wipe that awful console Futurama FPS out of our minds forever.

But don't forget Dark Crystal. You've already called a Henson? Good, good...

Maybe Telltale could work with Blizzard to do that Warcraft adventure game that was cancelled a a while ago.

[Steve2000]

Also speaking of Futurama I heard an interview with Billy West (voice of Fry and others on that show) that he had been approached to do a straight to DVD Futurama movie.

Awesome idea for a game though too.

It would be VERY nice to see an adventure game about the world of Narnia! 8-|

[jp-30]

It would be VERY nice to see an adventure game about the world of Narnia! 8-|

Interesting. Obviously timely what with the Lion Witch & Wardrobe movie coming out soon. Though I'd imagine all video game deals are long since wrapped up for that film considering it's due to be released before the end of the year.

[Heatherlee]

Interesting. Obviously timely what with the Lion Witch & Wardrobe movie coming out soon. Though I'd imagine all video game deals are long since wrapped up for that film considering it's due to be released before the end of the year.

Very astute of you. (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/thechroniclesofnarnia/index.html?q=Narnia)

Dark Crystal would be fabulous to do. Licensed games don't have to be bad. But sometimes they are expected to sell on the strength of the license alone. One of my greatest frustrations with children's games is that there are all these terrible licensed kid's games which their parents keep buying because many parents simply don't know better. All they know is that junior really likes Spongebob, or whoever. So the games don't have to be good, because the parents are going to buy then simply because of the license.

It causes me much gnashing of teeth.

In my opinion, the Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series of books would make a great series of episodic adventure games. Several times throughout the books, the characters are presented with obstacles and deal with them in adventure game fashion, such as finding the key to a door or making a makeshift lockpick from things lying around to open a suitcase.

Oh yeah, and the Chronicles of Narnia books would be cool as adventure games.

Very astute of you. (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/thechroniclesofnarnia/index.html?q=Narnia)

Dark Crystal would be fabulous to do. Licensed games don't have to be bad. But sometimes they are expected to sell on the strength of the license alone. One of my greatest frustrations with children's games is that there are all these terrible licensed kid's games which their parents keep buying because many parents simply don't know better. All they know is that junior really likes Spongebob, or whoever. So the games don't have to be good, because the parents are going to buy then simply because of the license.

It causes me much gnashing of teeth.

Damn... Well, at least it was a nice idea for 5 seconds...

In my opinion, the Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series of books would make a great series of episodic adventure games.

I agree! Good idea....

[Alucard]

I would like to see a blackadder or red dwarf adventure myself

[jp-30]

I would like to see a blackadder or red dwarf adventure myself

One important consideration is what other things are happening with that property, so that a game can leverage off the other publicity (see. Bone's colour scholastic re-release, Dark Crystal 2 movie & TV series etc).

If you're just going to put a licensed product out with no peripheral support from other areas of the license, marketing is going to be a heck of a lot harder.

But I do very much enjoy Blackadder and Red Dwarf, though I do wonder about a North American audience for those two franchises.

Dr Who would be another to consider, huge cult following, new series (though again, unsure if North America 'gets it".

a series of unfortunate events would be a great game. But only if it were based on the books, not the movies, as we have already seen how that turned out...

[Heatherlee]

a series of unfortunate events would be a great game. But only if it were based on the books, not the movies, as we have already seen how that turned out...

I have to agree with you there. Shockingly, some of my friends liked the movie more than the books. But, clearly, they simply didn't understand our dear Lemony Snicket's genius.

The books are so much better than the movies... because, lets face it, the stories are repetetive and pretty much suck. However, Snicket's writing style makes them very engaging and enjoyable, which is something that can't be done in a movie (even if they shorten the storylines, although some seemed a bit too short).

Franchises I'd like to see?
A new, 3D Discworld adventure. They have more than enough characters and locations to make a fun series.

A Jhonen Vasquez comic based game. Any of his work would be fine, although personally I think Invader ZIM would work best.

[jp-30]

Looks like there was already a Lemony Snicket action adventure (yes, movie based) released. So the rights are probably already well tied up to that story series.

For the movie, perhaps not the game (and it was a platformer).