With the Tex series there was an observable downward trend in the sales. This can be explained by noting that Pandora Directive wasn't marketed especially well and many gamers weren't aware of its connection to UAKM, and Overseer had a number of factors working against it, not the least of which being a hurried release schedule and technology issues. It might be the case that there are other explanations with other important series in the genre too: King's Quest 7 and Space Quest 6 were simply weaker entries in their respective series. The problem might not have been with the public's perception of the genre itself. The relative success of some later attempts like Escape from Monkey Island and Broken Sword 3 might back this up.
AC: I totally agree. Again, I think lack of quality was a major overall contributor to the downfall of adventure games. Many games, including some that were part of a series, just weren't very good.
In the case of the Tex Murphy series, most people agree that the second game (Pandora Directive) was superior to the first (Under a Killing Moon); however, it didn't sell nearly as well. This was in part because UKM got so much pre-release hype (this was in our honeymoon phase with Hollywood and the media) – it might also have helped if we'd named it Under a Killing Moon II. Overseer's failure was due to the fact that it was supposed to be a mini-game packaged with Intel software bundles, not a "real" full-length game. But one reason we jumped at the Intel deal was because most of the small game companies (including us at Access Software) were being forced to choose between selling out to mega-publishers (MS, EA, etc.) and not being able to afford to buy shelf space for our games.
What is it about the genre that you find attractive as a creative personality? Could you find these things in another genre?
AC: Actually, I am finding a creative outlet in a completely different genre. I'm currently a Content Producer at Indie Games, Inc. and working on some very cool creative concepts for an extreme sports title [Amped 3]. I was brought onto the project specifically to give the series a facelift and introduce character, story, and emotional involvement to the new game. Even though I'm not this particular sport or even into the extreme sports culture, I've really enjoyed the challenge of integrating creative elements into the game and everyone is very pleased with the results. Tex Murphy fans probably won't find anything familiar – except maybe some of the humor. That being said, my heart will always be with adventure games and, of course, I'd prefer to write a nice, dark, devious mystery story. As a writer, I don't believe I have to relate to or be intimately familiar with every type of character or scenario I write about. However, I've always had a thing for film noir, sci-fi, spy thrillers, whodunits, etc. – being an extreme sports guy...not so much.
There's a lot of buzz (read: doomsaying) lately about the spiraling production costs in the gaming industry. Fewer risks are being taken. Only 1 of the top 50 best-selling games of 2004 was an original property. Is this going to force the way smaller developers conduct business to change? Adventure gaming upstart Telltale games is pushing toward an episodic format with an online distribution. Valve is also championing this kind of format. How would not having to deal with publisher politics affect what you do? Even Overseer, despite the obstacles it faced, was a profitable game. Would the reduced overhead afforded by this model open doors, or will consumers only put up with it for games with massive hype like Half-Life 2? Would the idea of releasing a series of small detective mysteries appeal to you as a developer?
AC: Your last question first: Yes, a series of small detective mysteries DOES appeal to me, both from a creative and business sense. Low overhead is the key to the future of adventure games, in my view. I also believe that PCs are still a better fit for this type of game. Most importantly, the target audience for adventure games (aka casual gamers) are much more likely to use a PC regularly than a console. For years now, I've been keen on the idea of a "Mystery of the Month" club, where people subscribe and get a new story/game, which could be completely different each time or a new case from a gumshoe's casebook. I think the basic problem goes back to the fact that we're dealing with two very different markets: the smaller, more vocal group of avid young gamers vs. the much larger and passive, older, casual gamers. Sure, there's some overlap, but by and large they want different things delivered in different ways and until we tap into the larger segment, things are going to stay pretty much the way they are now.
