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-   -   New Jane Jensen game and Kickstarter campaign (https://adventuregamers.com/archive/forums/adventure/30815-new-jane-jensen-game-kickstarter-campaign.html)

Winterfury 04-03-2012 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banter (Post 606084)
Btw, can anyone shed light on what are the two other options besides Gray Matter 2? The links all lead to the timer when I click on them and I am really curious.

MOEBIUS
A man investigates a series of events around the world for a mysterious benefactor and learns a secret that changes his entire world view.

ANGLOPHILE ADVENTURE
Visit Regency England for a little sex, lies and scandal.

Banter 04-03-2012 03:35 PM

Lol, I'm sure a fan made GK would actually do that.

Still, I think by now she must surely know who owns the rights. It wouldn't make sense otherwise. Not pursuing it could be either a business decision on her part or lack of interest. Maybe both.

Banter 04-03-2012 03:37 PM

Moebius it is. Sounds actually good.

About Anglophile... a Jane Jensen game without mystery and occultism? eh... sounds worse than gray matter.

zane 04-03-2012 03:44 PM

i really liked the bit of concept art for both mobius and GM2. My vote will go to one of them most likely.

Jaesun 04-03-2012 03:44 PM

Love conspiracy stuff so I'm hoping for Moebius.

Winterfury 04-03-2012 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banter (Post 606090)
About Anglophile... a Jane Jensen game without mystery and occultism? eh... sounds worse than gray matter.

We shall see. Actually, description of Anglophile kind of makes me think of Christie's Miss Marple novels.

KatieHal 04-03-2012 04:04 PM

Even though I haven't seen much of this show, the description kinda reminds me if Downton Abbey :)

And actually, adding Jane to the mix only makes me expect it'd be that PLUS some kind of occultism!

michael1123 04-03-2012 04:18 PM

Okay, maybe this is is a sign that I'm too much of a Gabriel Knight geek, but I nearly teared up after watching those videos.

Holy ... shit ...

I'd be happy with Jane Jensen making ANY new adventure games. Her heading a game studio would be amazing.

But more Gabriel Knight games would be a dream come true that I never thought would happen.

michael1123 04-03-2012 04:25 PM

Not sure if this has been posted or not, but there's an interpretation I had watching the first video.

The past is Gabriel Knight. The future is sequels to Gray Matter. Sam was facing the fork in the road, and from the look of it chose the path that was the past. Which implies to me a Gabriel Knight sequel is next.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but that's what I took from it.

zane 04-03-2012 04:29 PM

^info has already leaked that she is founding a new studio and has 3 launch titles (gray matter 2, moebius and anglophile adventure) Fans will vote for which gets priority.

michael1123 04-03-2012 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zane (Post 606102)
^info has already leaked that she is founding a new studio and has 3 launch titles (gray matter 2, moebius and anglophile adventure) Fans will vote for which gets priority.

Aww, that kind of ruins my anticipation for the countdown. :P

But good news indeed!

donatelli 04-03-2012 05:10 PM

This is great news, and maybe down the line with a couple of successful titles, her new studio can make a new GK. Consider me in on this one. MOEBIUS sounds like something I'd love.

michael1123 04-03-2012 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donatelli (Post 606104)
This is great news, and maybe down the line with a couple of successful titles, her new studio can make a new GK. Consider me in on this one. MOEBIUS sounds like something I'd love.

Me too. Sounds very GKesque. More so than Gray Matter did even.

inm8#2 04-03-2012 05:39 PM

If the leaked info is accurate, I'll probably choose GM2.

I'm curious about the $300k goal, if that is also true. It seems that GM2 might require a larger budget than the other games, depending on their scope. Is $300k enough? If not, will Jane self-finance or look to other investors as well?

michael1123 04-03-2012 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inm8#2 (Post 606106)
If the leaked info is accurate, I'll probably choose GM2.

I'm curious about the $300k goal, if that is also true. It seems that GM2 might require a larger budget than the other games, depending on their scope. Is $300k enough? If not, will Jane self-finance or look to other investors as well?

I'm thinking maybe she's planning on going more indy. With graphics on par with Gemini Rue.

I'd be thrilled with her going that route. What I care about is gameplay and story. Graphics mean very little to me. And it's probably the same with most of fans, considering we're all die hard GK lovers.

And I'd imagine the cheaper the graphics, the faster she'd be able to turn them out.

daventrygnome 04-03-2012 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banter (Post 606078)
She was asked that in several interviews and said she couldn't actually figure out who owns the rights and that she had been personally inquiring for several years.

That is the kind of thing you hire a lawyer for... you know, someone who knows how to work through these matters. I am not trying to insult Jane's intelligence here, but the silver lining project got KQ series back in the limelight and all it took was a fan game that poked some company lawyers and showed suits.

Not knowing who owns the rights to your creation after 13 years sounds... stupid.

Regarding who owns Gabriel Knight: it's Activision Blizzard.

Proof: Gabriel Knight I, II, and III are avaiable for sale on GOG.com, where the developer is listed as "Sierra" and the publisher is listed as "Activision Blizzard."

Source: http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/gabri...of_the_fathers

Note: This also applies to King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, and Phantasmagoria. However Leisure Suit Larry is NOT on GOG, as the rights no longer belong to Activision but to either Codemasters and/or Replay Games (the exact details regarding this series, as many of you know, are not completely clear). What's most odd to me is how Quest for Glory is not available on GOG even though the series is presumably still owned by Activision Blizzard.

Just wanted to clear this up for you all (I actually created this account to post this comment). If you have any further information to add, please share with us fellow adventurers. :)

Banter 04-03-2012 06:17 PM

Totally forgot about gog. See, even a minor digital distributor of out of market games has no problem licensing GK. Makes me wonder even more about what is the big deal about Jensen picking it up. She is always so dodgy about it... I found recent interviews where she still goes on about "not knowing who owns the rights". Baloney?

She has probably given up on the series, specially given that her answers to questions about GK4 are always VERY negative. Maybe out of a business-like perspective? I assume developing a game out of someone else's license is more trouble than we can image. Not only financially, but also on matters of development and creative freedom. I guess doing GK instead of creating new things would be tougher and less likely to succeed on all fronts.

I repeat, I think this news is the last nail on GK's coffin for sure. She is moving on with GM and creating 2 new series. It certainly looks like she has decided to leave GK in the past. It is good that she will still be making games but I can't help feeling bad about it.

That image she posted on facebook, of the old gothic mansion with what appeared to be ghosts... man, I was so sure GK4 was coming. This really blows it for me.

JuntMonkey 04-03-2012 06:23 PM

Regarding IP, I believe the creators of Manhunter inquired about buying the rights back a few years ago and Activision (or whoever) quoted them a price of a "large six-digit sum".

michael1123 04-03-2012 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banter (Post 606112)
Totally forgot about gog. See, even a minor digital distributor of out of market games has no problem licensing GK. Makes me wonder even more about what is the big deal about Jensen picking it up. She is always so dodgy about it... I found recent interviews where she still goes on about "not knowing who owns the rights". Baloney?

She has probably given up on the series, specially given that her answers to questions about GK4 are always VERY negative. Maybe out of a business-like perspective? I assume developing a game out of someone else's license is more trouble than we can image. Not only financially, but also on matters of development and creative freedom. I guess doing GK instead of creating new things would be tougher and less likely to succeed on all fronts.

I repeat, I think this news is the last nail on GK's coffin for sure. She is moving on with GM and creating 2 new series. It certainly looks like she has decided to leave GK in the past. It is good that she will still be making games but I can't help feeling bad about it.

That image she posted on facebook, of the old gothic mansion with what appeared to be ghosts... man, I was so sure GK4 was coming. This really blows it for me.

I think you're overreacting, Chicken Little.

I was really really hoping this was GK4 too, but this gives me more hope than I've had in years. If she creates these games and they do well, maybe she'll buy the rights to GK herself. Or at least make some kind of deal with the current owners of the rights to make another game and cut them in on the profits.

I've gotten the impression from interviews that I've read that she really does want to create more GK games, she just hasn't been able to. Maybe the rights are just too expensive for her at this time. But that may not always be the case.

Banter 04-03-2012 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael1123 (Post 606107)
I'm thinking maybe she's planning on going more indy. With graphics on par with Gemini Rue.

I doubt it. If she owns the rights to the game engine from gray matter and also the art assets that can be re-used(character models, character textures, etc), making the sequel would be much easier and less expensive than the first game. I don't know if that is the case though, just throwing it out. I wouldn't be surprised if the same engine would be used for the other 2 games as well. It would make sense.

300 grant is probably more than what was spent in the original Gray Matter anyway(modern adventure games aren't known for huge budgets). And she might get much more than that if enough people support her kickstarter.

michael1123 04-03-2012 06:28 PM

And even if she never makes another GK game, 3 of her 4 major adventure games were pure masterpieces. And Gray Matter had a lot of potential, it was just rough around the edges.

If you're a true fan of her work I think she deserves more faith than this. This is great news no matter what.

Banter 04-03-2012 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael1123 (Post 606115)
I think you're overreacting, Chicken Little.

I was really really hoping this was GK4 too, but this gives me more hope than I've had in years. If she creates these games and they do well, maybe she'll buy the rights to GK herself. Or at least make some kind of deal with the current owners of the rights to make another game and cut them in on the profits.

I've gotten the impression from interviews that I've read that she really does want to create more GK games, she just hasn't been able to. Maybe the rights are just too expensive for her at this time. But that may not always be the case.


And I think you are being too upbeat, Polyanna. This isn't really about money for buying the rights, otherwise Telltale wouldn't be doing King's Quest. Think they forked a fortune to get the license to do one game in the series? Unlikely. Think they would ask big bucks or play hard-ass about a series they have no plans for(i.e: GK)? Again, unlikely.

If the problem was money, kickstarter would have solved it. Remember, we are not talking about buying the IP... we are talking about licensing the development of a sequel. Telltale did that.

She's boarding up 3 series that will probably go on for many years, what exactly is getting your hopes up for the GK series rising from the grave?

Banter 04-03-2012 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael1123 (Post 606118)
If you're a true fan of her work I think she deserves more faith than this. This is great news no matter what.

I didn't say otherwise. Thing is, these great news come with bummer news: We won't be seeing GK4.

michael1123 04-03-2012 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banter (Post 606120)
I didn't say otherwise. Thing is, these great news come with bummer news: We won't be seeing GK4.

I considered this almost an absolute certainty before today. (When I saw the teasers)

So for me the good news far outweighs the bad here.

Oscar 04-03-2012 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael1123 (Post 606107)
I'm thinking maybe she's planning on going more indy. With graphics on par with Gemini Rue.

I'd be thrilled with her going that route. What I care about is gameplay and story. Graphics mean very little to me. And it's probably the same with most of fans, considering we're all die hard GK lovers.

And I'd imagine the cheaper the graphics, the faster she'd be able to turn them out.

I'd lose interest if she was going to make it compatible with every system out there and make the graphics cheap for that reason.

michael1123 04-03-2012 08:27 PM

I just read up on the success the Tim Schafer Kickstarter project has had. (asking for $400k and getting $3.3 million!) Which brings about another possibility.

Something like this very well could happen with Jane Jensen's Kickstarter project. And if she all of a sudden had that much unexpected money coming in, you'd think she'd feel almost obligated to buy the rights to Gabriel Knight back. Cause she has to know that's what the fans really want.

zane 04-03-2012 08:32 PM

^first things first: we've gotta help this kickstarter all we can. Is it impossible somthing like that happens? No, but it wont happen through this kickstarter (future? who knows). First the task at hand :P

fov 04-03-2012 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banter
I repeat, I think this news is the last nail on GK's coffin for sure.

More details will be *officially* revealed very soon, and some of the questions that have been raised here (including whether or not Jane's interested in pursuing Gabriel Knight) are going to be addressed. So sit tight, the wait's almost over. :D

inm8#2 04-03-2012 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael1123 (Post 606127)
I just read up on the success the Tim Schafer Kickstarter project has had. (asking for $400k and getting $3.3 million!) Which brings about another possibility.

Something like this very well could happen with Jane Jensen's Kickstarter project. And if she all of a sudden had that much unexpected money coming in, you'd think she'd feel almost obligated to buy the rights to Gabriel Knight back. Cause she has to know that's what the fans really want.

I'm not so sure. I mean, Jane is a huge name with us adventure gamers but for some reason I've always had the impression that Lucasarts games simply had wider appeal. I'm making pure conjecture here, but Schafer has been more active and had more exposure with Psychonauts, Stacking, and other games in recent years. Jane was unfortunately bogged down in development hell with Gray Matter.

Don't get me wrong, I hope Jane's project is a resounding success. I think she could reach $1 million. But at the same time Cognition "only" raised $32k. Yes, the goal for Cognition was modest ($25k), and Jane is a story and design consultant on that game rather than the lead designer, but I would have imagined her name to bump that funding up even more.

All in all, I want the best for Jane and will support whatever she sees as her future.

zane 04-03-2012 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fov (Post 606131)
More details will be *officially* revealed very soon, and some of the questions that have been raised here (including whether or not Jane's interested in pursuing Gabriel Knight) are going to be addressed. So sit tight, the wait's almost over. :D

intrigue!

Lucien21 04-03-2012 10:05 PM

$300k is not a lot of money for a game budget these days.

THe Double Fine game was originally not to have voice work in it's game and only have a couple of staff working on it.

He also said that the budgets for his previous games were about...

DOTT budget was around $600k (1993 dollars)
grim fandango was $3 million in 1998 dollars
He also implies psychonauts budget was close to $12 million
Costume Quest/Stacking/Iron Brigade were $2 million
Full throttle was less than $1.5 million (in dollars back then)

zane 04-03-2012 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucien21 (Post 606134)
$300k is not a lot of money for a game budget these days.

So true. And yet, im still quite nervous about whether they'll hit it. Im assuming they would also have to use some of their own funds to make this work, 300k couldnt go too far.

Monolith 04-03-2012 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucien21 (Post 606134)
$300k is not a lot of money for a game budget these days.

THe Double Fine game was originally not to have voice work in it's game and only have a couple of staff working on it.

He also said that the budgets for his previous games were about...

DOTT budget was around $600k (1993 dollars)
grim fandango was $3 million in 1998 dollars
He also implies psychonauts budget was close to $12 million
Costume Quest/Stacking/Iron Brigade were $2 million
Full throttle was less than $1.5 million (in dollars back then)

What about the budget of Gray Matter? You are comparing to different projects that are completely irrelevant since there are so many different variables.

subbi 04-03-2012 11:21 PM

If Jane is really serious about a new GK, she would have at least figured out how much it will cost to secure the rights for a new sequel.
There are enough ways to find out who the owner of the rights is....it's not like it's some kind of buried secret ;-)

So she could easily add a fourth option to the fans and fairly state how much she would need to both secure the rights and to build the game.

Then it's up to us (the fans) to make sure we come up with the kind of number she needs.

If you can see what Tim Schafer achieved with only the initial promise of a small scope point & click game, then you can only dream how many and much people would pledge for a real sequel to Gabriel Knight (or even Grim Fandango or DOTT)

valypan 04-04-2012 12:03 AM

Anyone else glued to the screen? Counter reached zero....:)

Jawa 04-04-2012 12:26 AM

Yeah, but that counter is connected to your pc's clock, which means somewhere in the US, it's still counting down.

Countdown fail:P

Oscar 04-04-2012 12:27 AM

Something's coming...

...but you missed it.

Too bad!

valypan 04-04-2012 12:29 AM

Well that sucks. I guess I´ll check later this evening then

Jawa 04-04-2012 12:36 AM

Yeah, it's a bit unprofessional.

valypan 04-04-2012 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jawa (Post 606146)
Yeah, it's a bit unprofessional.

Agreed. Not off to a good start, especially if she is going to have a kickstarter campaign and ask us to chip in...


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