• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

American McGee says they were "emotionally quite destroyed" by EA canceling Alice Asylum, ask fans to move on

Draugoth

Gold Member
BMBLFCCp5fx4QkACCBZzv8-970-80.jpg.webp


In a YouTube video titled "Asylum: Final Word," McGee reveals that he felt "emotionally quite destroyed" after EA turned down the team's proposal for a third Alice game, which would've been Alice Asylum.

In April 2023, McGee posted to Patreon, explaining that after presenting the team at EA with a design bible full of story bits, artwork, concepts, and more, the publisher declined the proposal - meaning we wouldn't be seeing a third Alice game.

[EA] have ultimately decided to pass on the project based on an internal analysis of the IP, market conditions, and details of the production proposa. n the question of licensing, they replied that 'Alice' is an important part of EA’s overall game catalog, and selling or licensing it isn’t something they’re prepared to do right now.

In McGee's new video, the developer added:

I was emotionally quite destroyed by the fact that our proposal was rejected. Not only because we had invested so much into it as a community, and as creators, but also because I felt quite strongly that it presented a vision for something that was not only achievable but would have been quite beautiful if we had been allowed to pursue it.

"At the end of it all," McGee continues in the video, "the owners of the IP, Electronic Arts, made clear that they have no desire to see the Alice franchise continued by me or anyone else." The developer urges fans to "please just move on" and send any future questions, thoughts, or complaints to EA instead, as it's completely out of their control now.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
They said no to a sequel AND to selling the IP? So which is it EA, is it a deadend franchise or no?
The older game sells on Steam and EA still for $20. It's also included in their EA Play subscription bundle on PCs and consoles. Hence, the "important part of EAs overall catalog" statement. I imagine that selling or licensing the IP would put their gravy train in jeopardy.
 

FeralEcho

Member
Oh fuck off EA,if you don't want to continue the franchise just sell the IP to people that would do something with it instead of bullshitting everyone that it's an important IP when you've done jack shit with it for the past 12 fucking years.
 

Mownoc

Member
idk depends, do they have full game rights to the Alice in Wonderland games?
They have the rights to American's Alice. Alice in Wonderland itself is public domain and anyone can make them. Though American signed something at EA which means he's not allowed to make any game related to Alice in Wonderland outside of them. So he's basically the only one in the world that can't.
 
Last edited:

Mownoc

Member
They said no to a sequel AND to selling the IP? So which is it EA, is it a deadend franchise or no?
Yes this is what annoys me. They don't want to make a game... But they also won't let him buy the rights from them either.

If you don't want it sell it instead of killing it.
 
Last edited:
They have the rights to American's Alice. Alice in Wonderland itself is public domain and anyone can make them. Though American signed something at EA which means he's not allowed to make any game related to Alice in Wonderland outside of them. So he's basically the only one in the world that can't.
sounds like he should make another dark version of another fairy tale.
 
Top Bottom