[Curt]

Does anyone know what these two geniuses are up to nowadays? I know that Microsoft have recently sold off part of it's gaming enterprise, acquired some years back, to Indie games. But what of the great minds behind the Tex Murphy classics?

I also notice that www.unofficialtexmurphy.com is currently under construction. Does anyone know if this domain has been sold or is the site itself under construction - the site owners maybe knowing something we don't?

I've also recently come across the following regarding the demise of the Tex Murphy series:



Tex Murphy: Overseer

This is where access got into trouble. Aarron and Chris were working on the next game in the Tex series, tentatively called "Trance". Intel approached Access, offering to fund their next game, with the catch being that they wanted it on shelves in 9 months time. The game was to be bundled with new computers as a technology showcase, and was to be the first game to use the DVD-ROM format.

With the immense time pressure, Chris and Aaron dropped trance and decided to make a new title based on Mean Streets, figuring it would take less time for them to work out the kinks in an established story. I hesistate to call it a remake, becuase it has nothing in common with Mean Streets except the basic story line. The result was Tex Murphy: Overseer.

Tex Murphy: Overseer was rushed to market. No one denies that. It was slightly buggy. The implimentation of the 3D acceleration and the DVD technology was particularly questionable (the DVD required hardware acceleration from a list of supported "cards" which no one really had, and the 3D didn't make use of any standard like Direct3D).

TM:O was not a bad game, though. In fact I'm surprised it came out as good as it did, all things considered. The meat of the game was a flashback to Tex's first case, and retells the story of Mean Streets not only using the gameplay style of the later games, but from the perspective of them as well, with Tex reflecting on his naivite.

Sadly all these factors led to TM:O selling even less than PD. With a decline now "established", it became difficult to convince investors to allow Access to continues the series. Not long after Microsoft bought them out (some time in 2000, I think). They were merged into MGS and Access as it was no longer exists.



Chris and Aaron, if either of you read this, I hope you get truly back into the game soon, bringing us your genius and maybe even taking adventures in a whole new and better direction. Your work is sadly missed. Best wishes.

[crabapple]

You might try asking here
http://pub24.ezboard.com/bunofficialtexmurphy17995

[baron_calamity]

Aaron Connors and Chris Jones currently work for Take 2. They said they aren't working on a new Tex Murphy game ... YET. (implying that they may be soon) They are working on a game that fans of Tex Murphy should like. Thats all the hints we have

[JoeX111]

Hang around in the Unofficial Tex Murphy boards and you'll get the full scoop. Conners has been on there asking fans from time to time what they would and would not like from a new Tex game, getting lots of feedback and putting fourth various ideas to bring us a good Tex game as quickly as possible.

Last time I heard, they were even talking about doing one of those monthly, pay-per-episode games for Tex. But Baron is right, the project has been shelved while they work on something at Take 2. There has been talk of Conners trying to pitch Take 2 into making one of their next games a Tex one, but no word on how that's goin'.