Old Sierra titles in new genres

[Rick_Florez]

I was wondering what do the fans think about Sierra's plan to bring back classic game series but in new genres?  Although I personally think its an interesting idea I think there is still plenty of room for adventure games.

[Penner_Theologius]

My first question would be, what specifically are you referring to? Do you mean KQ8 and QFG5 having so much more focus on action scenes, or are there some new developments with the series I'm unaware of?

[Rick_Florez]

This question is based on what I read a while back on some other websites including www.spacequest.net.


Translated quote from MCV Online which is a German gaming publication at http://www.mcvonline.de/

Sierra: Two secret projects based on adventure franchises

16.04.2002 - 06:00 - (mcv) Sierra's daughter Vivendi seems to try to revive the well known adventure brand names and is currently working on two secret projects that are based on introduced titles. "It is really amazing how often German PC gamers tell us they want a new Leisure Suite Larry, King's Quest, Space Quest and Police Quest. The adventure genre which we knew back then may not be viable in this form, but you can transport these game themes with other genres like action or strategy." Says Sierra's Mike Ryder. Both projects are planned to be released in 2003 or 2004 and will probably be unveiled at the E3 in Los Angeles. One of these two project may be an action oriented multi-platform console title and the other a PC strategy game.

More info on Space Quest 7 can be found at spacequest.net's SQ7 section by http://www.spacequest.net/sq7/rumors.shtml

[Storm]

That's a really stupid idea...
But even stupid ideas might work if they are done properly.

[Erpy]

I think it takes more creativity than a "bandwagon company" like Sierra has right now to turn such a project into a success.

The sole reason for creating a game with the name of an old franchise is because you're aiming for the fans of that franchise. If you create a sequel to a certain series, but aim at a completely different audience than the one the original games were intended for, you're basically throwing a banana into the lion's den while secretly hoping the monkeys will jump after it. (bad analogy, I know)

Example: Space Quest was a sci-fi parody. Turn it into a Starcraft or Half-life-in-space and the complete essence of the series will be lost. KQ was an interactive fairytale, but MOE was simply medieval fantasy. If you admit that the games cannot survive as adventures and thus turn them into other genres, you basically admit that the adventure genre is dead.