Good news - Great author is back. Another adventure game studio. The genre is alive and kickin' like never before (ok, LIKE before)! I'm actually getting messages from friends who were "adventure-haters" to tell me "news" about new Larry, Kickstarter campaigns... And i say to them: Yeah, so what - the genre was never dead.

Bad news: I don't want to choose the next game. I don't want to see how you design it. The line must be drawn somewhere. Sometimes, i might want to peak into the development process but that's absolutely irrelevant to make the big deal out of it. You could just read in the magazine or see the development blog if you're interested, and that is enough.

Developers should make the game because they WANT to make it! Because they have the urge to make it. That's the only way of bringing the true quality, just like with music, movies... "Give me that much money and i will make that kind of game, give me a little more and the game might be better..." or "I WILL make that game if you tell me to make it, but otherwise i might just make some other game" are not quite the ways to go. They offer possibilities yes, and i'm not saying there's no "honesty" in it, but the developer should know exactly how and why they want to express themselves.

^good point. BUT, it says they completely plan to make all 3. This is just letting fans choose which first.

@zane. Wizarbox is not a publisher.

i knoow, but still calling it independent suggests to me no wizarbox. Unless they picked up some of the same people from them. I guess we'l hear.

YES! Couldn't agree more.

Yes, Wizarbox is a good enough reason for not funding any adventure game, even - sigh - Gabriel Knight. I didn't care much for Gray Matter, but with a Kickstarter campaign Jane surely can make it more complex and old-school? There is no need for 2.5D, a simplified interface and mini-games, right? She might bring back the classical 2D look, 8 icons, adult themes and impossible puzzles. I hope that's the idea.

Am I the only one who thought Gray Matter was a really good game?

Yes :-))

It is a great game, which suffers from a rushed ending, jumbled plot, and unrealized puzzle potential. But it is still a strong game to me, thanks to the music, atmosphere and pacing.

Damn, I had a hunch this was a new GK. Damn twice and thrice, why did she use Gabriel in that advertisement if she down't own the rights to do so? Isn't that actually illegal someway? Using the image of a character that belongs to another company?

I will support the 3 games, but I am really not that excited any more... Gray Matter was decent, but i always felt it wasn't as mature as Gabriel Knight. In fact the characters felt really "emo" and made me cringe throughout the game. Jensen's narrative kind of made up for it but... damn it, it will take a while for me to get over the somewhat sad news.

I will vote for options 2 or 3. Leave Gray Matter 2 for later guys.

She shouldn't have used Gabriel in that teaser. Period. It settled things in a way that many people would be disappointed with anything but GK4.

I should be glad she will be making 3 new games but in the end the disappointment comes out on top. :(

I guess this is the final nail in GK's coffin. I can't for the life of me understand what is so difficult about finding out who owns the rights to the franchise and making a deal. It is beyond comprehension.

Well just look at it like this: are you really confident theyd make a GK4 that lived up to all the maturity and best aspects of the first games? I'd rather them mess up GM more instead of messing up GK (especially without tim curry) ;)
And either way i still enjoy playing her adventures.

"Well just look at it like this: are you really confident theyd make a GK4 that lived up to all the maturity and best aspects of the first games?"

Yes I am, actually. Gray Matter was planned to be released on a console from day one and it is obvious she was trying to reach a new(and younger) audience. I have no doubts a GK4 funded through kickstarter would be made with the fans of the series in mind. After all, they would be directly paying for it...

Replay games managed to get the rights of Larry.
So why is it impossible to get the rights of a franchise that hasn't been used for 13 years?

thats not the whole story at all. Apparently they got a VERY limited license to make nothing except some remakes. The story is definitely murky on that one.

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.

Gray Matter is aimed for kids because anything Jensen writes that doesn't have a protagonist named Gabriel is crap? I have a really hard time following this reasoning but each to their own. :P

The main characters were a goth chick and a rich romantic scientist who appears naked once every hour or so of gameplay.

Go ahead, tell me young'uns were not the target audience. I had little simpathy for such characters and I don't miss them at all. Gabe and Grace on the other hand... it is a really shitty spot because now I finally accept that she will never make another game with them.

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.

Actually, doesn't Activision owns the rights to all the sierra franchises? Weren't they happy to lend the KQ rights to Telltale instead of sitting on them for nothing?

It doesn't make sense. No company would hold back rights to a 13 years inative Intellectual Property if they knew someone was interested. Specially if money was put on the table.

That would be after they got mobbed by fan mail for shutting down TSL ;)
And theres no guarentee its activision. I guess if you made a fan GK project maybe you'd get to find out who you get the C&D letter from :P