Decline New King's Quest game - MASSIVE DECLINE Everything is shit

[Jackalope]

A small game can explode and make lots of money though. Minecraft made a bazillion dollars, now every studio is aping the crafting mechanics. Undertale was a small game that got $50k on Kickstarter, yet many critics concider it Game of the Year and it sold over 500,000 copies on Steam. And sure that might not seem like much, but the point is - you can make a small game and make lots of money with it. Activision knows that more or less, so they took a gamble with NuSierra and a King's Quest game in 2015. But they also don't understand the market, cause they just chose the first studio they could find. They made a weak product and hoped people would suck it down because of nostalgia.

And you can sell a good game to anyone, not just fans. But this isn't selling. And it's not because it's not what the fans wanted. If it was a good game, people would still like it. As you said, there's plenty of people who don't know what King's Quest is and probably never played a Siera title in their lives.

 

[Severian Silk]

New King's Quest is the best KQ I've never played.

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

A small game can explode and make lots of money though. Minecraft made a bazillion dollars, now every studio is aping the crafting mechanics. Undertale was a small game that got $50k on Kickstarter, yet many critics concider it Game of the Year and it sold over 500,000 copies on Steam. And sure that might not seem like much, but the point is - you can make a small game and make lots of money with it. Activision knows that more or less, so they took a gamble with NuSierra and a King's Quest game in 2015. But they also don't understand the market, cause they just chose the first studio they could find. They made a weak product and hoped people would suck it down because of nostalgia.

And you can sell a good game to anyone, not just fans. But this isn't selling. And it's not because it's not what the fans wanted. If it was a good game, people would still like it. As you said, there's plenty of people who don't know what King's Quest is and probably never played a Siera title in their lives.

Again, you're talking apples and oranges. Minecraft was a new idea. Undertale might be GotR, but 500,00k is still chump change.
Actually, The Odd Gentlemen were the second or third studio contracted. Telltale was given the contract from around 2010 to 2013. Then The Odd Gentlemen were tapped to do it in 2013. Silicon Knights was also asked at some point. They understand the market, or else the game would've been an action game like KQ8 was. As it stands, gameplay wise, it is basically a compromise between Telltale style gameplay and latter day Sierra (meaning KQ7) style gameplay. The game isn't a "weak product", actually, it's pretty fun. It's also tonally different from KQ6, which means to some it sucks.

 

[Blackthorne]

Undertale sells for $10 - x500,000 - is $5 million dollars on a 50k investment. That's a success to anyone. And that's in pure sales, not any additional marketing, deals, merch, etc.


Bt

 

[Irenaeus III]

This Calgary of Barbary is a particularly stupid person.

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

Undertale sells for $10 - x500,000 - is $5 million dollars on a 50k investment. That's a success to anyone. And that's in pure sales, not any additional marketing, deals, merch, etc.


Bt

It's also an RPG, which as noted before, is still a very viable genre, and has been a viable genre since the mid 90s. Retro in style or not, the overall genre is still a moneymaker. Whereas adventure games have been a commercial dead end since roughly the same time period. Sierra style games are a niche within that niche as Sierra-style gameplay is criticized these days as being archaic even by pure adventure game fans. Even the classsic VGA era icon-based interface, beloved by Sierra fans, had a whole article about basically what a sucky adventure game interface it was. When's the last time you saw a pure, old style adventure game do 500k? Not a modernized game, but a retro adventure game? The biggest success I can think of with regard to newer adventure games done in an older-ish style is Tales of MI, which did 100k.

 

[Taluntain]

The biggest problem here is probably that even most people who've played KQ games are quite happy to leave them in the nostalgic days of yore. Hard to reboot a franchise that nobody is that keen on seeing return in 2016. Everything today is different, from the market to people who buy new games and even the general mindset. KQ was a household name back in the day, but really too far back to matter today. Not to mention that anything adventure-y has been niche at best for a long, long time with few exceptions to the rule.

Edit: Should've read the last few responses to avoid repetition.

 

[RuySan]

They did what Hollywood does with the remakes. The name itself can pull some old fans, and if it has a modern appeal (Telltale games) it pulls the masses.

Why the game is failing I have no idea because I haven't played it

 

[Irenaeus III]

Read the thread then, lazy fuck

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

The biggest problem here is probably that even most people who've played KQ games are quite happy to leave them in the nostalgic days of yore. Hard to reboot a franchise that nobody is that keen on seeing return in 2016. Everything today is different, from the market to people who buy new games and even the general mindset. KQ was a household name back in the day, but really too far back to matter today. Not to mention that anything adventure-y has been niche at best for a long, long time with few exceptions to the rule.

Edit: Should've read the last few responses to avoid repetition.

Pretty much this.
Go back and read Usenet. A large segment of the Sierra fanbase defected and lost interest as early as 1994 with KQ7 and when Sierra began releasing buggy games like Outpost on a regular basis. There are whole threads in the Usenet archives as early as 1996 saying "Sierra sucks", verbatim. KQ as a franchise hasn't been truly relevant since 1990 or 1992. KQ5 was a mega hit, and while KQ6 was a success, after 5, commercially, KQ games had diminishing returns. So you factor a series that hasn't been relevant even within its own genre for a quarter century, whose last two entries were disliked by the core fans which caused apathy to set in long ago; added to this, the genre its in is a very much dead genre....It's not exactly a recipe for success.

Like I said, Sierra's own report from 1995 stated that King's Quest had a combined total of 1.5 million sales (that is not individually, but all games put together). That's tiny, even by 1990s standards. By today's standards, 7 games which netted a combined 1.5 million would be an utter bomb.

For whatever reason, Sierra games, while more commercially successful at the time, have not had the staying power or longevity that LucasArts' titles had with the mainstream public.

 

[Irenaeus III]

It's easy to reboot the King's Quest franchise and there's lots of interest from old and new fans. Please re-read this post, idiots:

Never liked GK or Myst to be honest. Would love a new KQ. A REAL one, not this faggotry we got. The KQ2 remake by AGD was the next best thing.

Anyone looking for something close to the KQ experience, grab it for free here: http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq2/

If you want big numbers, go play Fall Out 4 or Call of Duty. I want a new King's Quest.

Insert your diminishing returns up your accountant's ass.

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

It's easy to reboot the King's Quest franchise and there's lots of interest from old and new fans. Please re-read this post, idiots:

Never liked GK or Myst to be honest. Would love a new KQ. A REAL one, not this faggotry we got. The KQ2 remake by AGD was the next best thing.

Anyone looking for something close to the KQ experience, grab it for free here: http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq2/

If you want big numbers, go play Fall Out 4 or Call of Duty. I want a new King's Quest.

Insert your diminishing returns up your accountant's ass.

Lots of interest from maybe a few thousand people at best?
Business is business. Sierra even when it was run by Ken Williams, wasn't doing it for charity. Sierra IPs are commercial dead-ends.

 

[Irenaeus III]

Your mom is a commercial dead-end. Bring me a NEW King's Quest. And no faggotry this time. TYA

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

Your mom is a commercial dead-end. Bring me a NEW King's Quest. And no faggotry this time. TYA

You've never cared to explain what a real KQ would be to you. Would it be dark like KQ3 + 4? Campy like KQ5? Overwrought and serious like KQ6? Disney-esque like KQ7? RPG-esque like KQ8? Simplistic with barely any story like KQ1 and KQ2?

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

This was Roberta Williams' definition of what made a KQ game:

" King's Quest really is a reflection of me and how I'm feeling about the subject and upon the reference material I am using and how I approach the subject. Basically, King's Quest comes from me and my heart and it always isn't going to be exactly the same, because I'm not always exactly the same, and I, like most people, feel a need for a change of pace and a sense of moving forward and of trying and experiencing something new. With KQ7, I was in a "Disney-esque" mood. Some people really liked it, others didn't. Earlier King's Quest's reflected my moods during those times: KQ3 was very dark, and it utilized lots of magic and magic spells with the basic idea of finding ingredients for "black magic" spells and then casting those spells. (Certain religious groups were upset with me over that one!) KQ1 certainly had violence. Sir Graham had a dagger and could kill the dragon (and it didn't get you "stuck," by the way, if you did so), and you could also kill the goat. It's true that I also had non-violent ways of dealing with those situations, but, that's because I chose to handle it that way for that particular game. I've gotten into trouble over the years for all the various ways that my main characters can "die." And they die a lot! I am known for changing course a lot, and changing my style a lot. I like change, and I like to keep people guessing. KQ7 felt very Disney-esque, and I felt like doing something different for KQ8 but yet, still keeping a "King's Quest" feel to the game. Each game in the King's Quest family has been different. Almost each time I do a new King's Quest, people get up in arms and say it's going to be "different" and won't feel right. Yet, each time, it DOES wind up feeling like King's Quest but each in its own way...and people just kind of KNOW that when they are playing it.

That's because I know, in my heart, and what I am feeling, that it is, indeed, King's Quest. The components that make a King's Quest are (in my mind, anyway and since I am the creator of the series, I guess that holds some weight): A land, or lands, of high fantasy; fantasy creatures from myth, legends, and/or fairytales both good and bad; situations to be found in those same types of stories; a "quest" type story; a calamity in the land with one "hero" to "save the kingdom"; a story of the "good" hero against the "evil" bad guy; a story that everyone can relate to, i.e., a "reason" for having the hero go out and risk his or her life for "saving the kingdom"; interesting worlds to explore; high interactivity; interesting characters; great animation; great visuals and music. Within that general framework, I feel that I can have some "leeway" to accomplish those tasks."

 

[Irenaeus III]

Your mom is a commercial dead-end. Bring me a NEW King's Quest. And no faggotry this time. TYA

You've never cared to explain what a real KQ would be to you. Would it be dark like KQ3 + 4? Campy like KQ5? Overwrought and serious like KQ6? Disney-esque like KQ7? RPG-esque like KQ8? Simplistic with barely any story like KQ1 and KQ2?

How can you be blind and use the internet?

I'll link to you again:

Never liked GK or Myst to be honest. Would love a new KQ. A REAL one, not this faggotry we got. The KQ2 remake by AGD was the next best thing.

Anyone looking for something close to the KQ experience, grab it for free here: http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq2/

Go play GK or Myst and GTFO of this thread, imbecile. Thread should be closed to anti-King's Quest propagandists like you.

 

[Jackalope]

I really have no idea what Korgoth is trying to say at this point. Small titles don't sell? Nostalgia is to blame for some reason? Activision's done great by picking the Odd Gentlement for this project? They want all the money so they can do whatever they want with the old IPs? Dunno... I really have no idea.

I kinda think this game sucks and fails at everything it tried to do. And I think fans or not, players noticed. But hey, feel free to defend it "because it's the best we could have hoped for" or something.

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

I really have no idea what Korgoth is trying to say at this point. Small titles don't sell? Nostalgia is to blame for some reason? Activision's done great by picking the Odd Gentlement for this project? They want all the money so they can do whatever they want with the old IPs? Dunno... I really have no idea.

I kinda think this game sucks and fails at everything it tried to do. And I think fans or not, players noticed. But hey, feel free to defend it "because it's the best we could have hoped for" or something.

I'm trying to say that I feel this, and any commercial King's Quest project, was doomed to fail no matter what. For a variety of reasons, including the commercial end, and the fact that Sierra game fans are impossible to please.

 

[Jackalope]

That's the most ret.... Actually, you know what, sure.

 

[RuySan]

Can it be that many people are waiting for the season to be over? Life is strange started gaining a lot of traction and hype on the last seasons. I doubt it will happen with this one though.

 

[MRY]

I still stand by my assessment that what made KQ good was very time/place dependent: to a large degree, the games were just cutting edge tech for the time (audiovisually and mechanically) coupled with grab-bag design elements. I don't think the series has consistent mood, the stories are mostly goofy farces that aren't actually funny, and the puzzles are not particularly interesting in comparison to other adventure games of the era (KQ3 being an arguable exception). I certainly enjoyed them at the time. At that same age, I also enjoyed terrible 80s / early 90s cartoon shows, lame comic books, bad jokes, and mediocre movies. This was a time when people were entranced by flying toasters accompanied by Wagner, when Melrose Place could pass itself off as a deep-issues spin off of Beverly Hills 90210.

Sitting here today, there are ample reasons to have fond memories of KQ, but I don't see much upside to reviving the franchise beyond name recognition. I don't think it has a soul to save or a spirit to conjure from beyond the grave. I don't think there is any way that King's Quest II, with the Batmobile and Count Dracula, can cohere with King's Quest VI, with a single tear rolling down the cheek of the god of the dead. To be sure, another game like KQ6 might be good in the way another game like Dragonsphere might be good, but that's because fantasy/folkloric adventure games starring dashing heroes can be good, not because either franchise had some brilliant inner core.

I want to be clear in saying this, though, that I have nothing but respect for the KQ franchise or the Williamses (Robin Leach giant-yacht lifestyle notwithstanding): we are talking about trailblazing games made by skilled visionaries. Those games enriched my childhood and inspired projects in my adulthood. KQ3 has some brilliant design and KQ5 is (in my memory) immensely charming. But I don't think much was lost from the world by this reboot being "unfaithful" to the original.

 

[Korgoth of Barbaria]

I still stand by my assessment that what made KQ good was very time/place dependent: to a large degree, the games were just cutting edge tech for the time (audiovisually and mechanically) coupled with grab-bag design elements. I don't think the series has consistent mood, the stories are mostly goofy farces that aren't actually funny, and the puzzles are not particularly interesting in comparison to other adventure games of the era (KQ3 being an arguable exception). I certainly enjoyed them at the time. At that same age, I also enjoyed terrible 80s / early 90s cartoon shows, lame comic books, bad jokes, and mediocre movies. This was a time when people were entranced by flying toasters accompanied by Wagner, when Melrose Place could pass itself off as a deep-issues spin off of Beverly Hills 90210.

Sitting here today, there are ample reasons to have fond memories of KQ, but I don't see much upside to reviving the franchise beyond name recognition. I don't think it has a soul to save or a spirit to conjure from beyond the grave. I don't think there is any way that King's Quest II, with the Batmobile and Count Dracula, can cohere with King's Quest VI, with a single tear rolling down the cheek of the god of the dead. To be sure, another game like KQ6 might be good in the way another game like Dragonsphere might be good, but that's because fantasy/folkloric adventure games starring dashing heroes can be good, not because either franchise had some brilliant inner core.

I want to be clear in saying this, though, that I have nothing but respect for the KQ franchise or the Williamses (Robin Leach giant-yacht lifestyle notwithstanding): we are talking about trailblazing games made by skilled visionaries. Those games enriched my childhood and inspired projects in my adulthood. KQ3 has some brilliant design and KQ5 is (in my memory) immensely charming. But I don't think much was lost from the world by this reboot being "unfaithful" to the original.

This is basically what I was trying to say, and better than I could ever have said it.

 

[Irenaeus III]

I don't think there is any way that King's Quest II, with the Batmobile and Count Dracula, can cohere with King's Quest VI, with a single tear rolling down the cheek of the god of the dead.

You guys should really read my posts instead of making fool of yourselves.

Never liked GK or Myst to be honest. Would love a new KQ. A REAL one, not this faggotry we got. The KQ2 remake by AGD was the next best thing.

Anyone looking for something close to the KQ experience, grab it for free here: http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq2/

 

[MRY]

You guys should really read my posts instead of making fool of yourselves.

Which posts? All of the ones I saw were just you use pejoratives with respect to arguments raised by Korgoth. Is there one earlier in the thread where you talk about things more substantively?

Never liked GK or Myst to be honest. Would love a new KQ. A REAL one . . . . The KQ2 remake by AGD was the next best thing.

Anyone looking for something close to the KQ experience, grab it for free here: http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq2/

I did not particularly care for the KQ2 "remake." The effort to add melodrama and deep lore seemed to be at odds with the original game (the first adventure game I played through on my own). If anything, I've always thought that KQ2VGA, like The Silver Lining, revealed the weaknesses of KQ as a coherent franchise.

When you say "a new KQ, a REAL one," which KQ do you mean? A new game in the vein on KQ6 would be really different from a new game in the vein of KQ3, etc.

Also, have you played A Tale of Two Kingdoms? I've heard that it captures some of the VGA-era KQ feel.

 

[Jaesun]

Irenaeus is just a wandering dumbfuck, spend your time discussing things on people who are actually here to discuss topics. Just FYI.