Creative director behind Alice Madness Returns American McGee says he feels the same “pain and anger” as many fans of the cult classic action-adventure game series after he revealed that EA dropped potential sequel Alice Asylum recently. This follows both fans and McGee’s hope that the third entry could see the light of day, which no longer appears to be the case.
McGee already confirmed that Alice Asylum has been dropped by EA, which the publisher called an “important” part of the library despite the decision to not fund a third entry. EA also doesn’t want to sell the license according to McGee, who he says still see it as a core part of its “overall game catalogue.”
Now, a follow-up statement from McGee acknowledges how fans of the series feel, but asks that you try to move on, as he himself is doing as well.
“I just want to restate that I understand how difficult this is for many of you,” McGee writes on Patreon. “I am feeling the same pain and anger as many of you. And I understand that in situations like these, we often ask ourselves ‘what can we do?’ or ‘what could we have done differently?’ in order to change the outcome. It’s tough to admit right now but ultimately, we’re going to need to accept that this decision and the situation, in general, is out of our control.”
The last game in the series was 2011’s Alice Madness Returns and since then there has been a publicly uploaded Alice Asylum game bible and narrative outline, with neither becoming a full game.
“We are not ‘giving up’ any more than a person who is hit by a bus is ‘giving up,’” McGee continues. “We did everything we could as a team and a group of fans to convince EA to let this next chapter happen. EA decided to kill the project and the possibility of any future for Alice. That decision is on them.
“But we can make a decision of our own – and it’s a strong decision to make – to move on. That is what we do have in our power. And it’s often one of the most difficult decisions to be made in situations like this. But it’s what we must do. So, I would ask that you join me in moving on. If you decide to stay back and continue fighting… that’s fine. That is your decision to make. I respect that. And I ask that you also respect my decision to move on. Thank you.”
Alice Madness Returns has already had its own turbulent history over the years on top of Alice Asylum’s cancellation, being removed and readded to Steam on multiple occasions. You can read McGee’s full statement on Patreon (via Eurogamer).
While the Alice Asylum bible is still online and you can play the previous two games – American McGee’s Alice and Alice Madness Returns – whenever you want, it doesn’t look like a third game is ever going to happen. Perhaps our list of the biggest upcoming PC games will keep you entertained instead.
