History and Development of American McGee’s Alice Series
The American McGee’s Alice series began with the release of the original game in 2000 on PC, which introduced players to a dark and twisted version of the classic Alice in Wonderland tale. A decade later, fans were treated to a sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, which continued the story of Alice and her descent into a macabre version of Wonderland.
Following the success of the first two games, there was an attempt to create a third installment titled Alice: Asylum. However, the series faced significant challenges due to Electronic Arts (EA) owning the rights to the franchise. Despite efforts to drum up interest from both EA and fans, the continuation of the series was hindered by the publisher’s lack of interest in pursuing another sequel.
The difficulties in bringing Alice: Asylum to fruition were compounded by the fact that American McGee, the series creator, did not own the rights to the Alice IP. This ownership issue effectively scuppered any plans for a third game without EA’s involvement, leaving the future of the series in limbo.
American McGee’s Announcement
In a definitive statement, American McGee announced the end of the Alice series and his retirement from game design. This announcement came after a period of trying to secure funding and interest for the third game, Alice: Asylum, which ultimately did not come to fruition. McGee expressed a deep emotional response to the situation, citing feelings of destruction and shame over the inability to bring the project to life despite the community’s and creators’ significant investment.
McGee’s announcement was made through a video on YouTube, where he detailed the events leading to the series’ end and his decision to retire. He acknowledged the support from fans but emphasized the need to move on from the project, which had become a source of considerable stress and disappointment.
The video also served as a message to fans and followers, suggesting that they should redirect their efforts and focus away from the Alice series and towards other ventures or interests. McGee’s retirement marks the end of an era for the beloved dark fantasy series, leaving fans with the memories of the games that were released and the hope of what could have been with Alice: Asylum.
Community and Pre-Production Efforts
The community support for Alice: Asylum was significant, with fans eagerly anticipating the continuation of the series. In response to this enthusiasm, a considerable amount of pre-production work was undertaken to bring the third game to life. This included the creation of a design bible, a comprehensive document that outlined the vision for Alice: Asylum.
The design bible was a collaborative effort, with contributions from both the creative team and the community. It contained a wealth of information and materials that would have been used to develop the game, including:
- The complete story and narrative arcs
- Detailed artwork and character designs
- Descriptions of chapters, environments, and settings
- Concepts for weapons and enemies
- Other essential elements needed for game development
This extensive pre-production package was made available for download, allowing fans to see what could have been for Alice: Asylum. The design bible represented the culmination of years of work and passion, serving as a testament to the dedication of the team and the community behind the Alice series.
The Future of Alice and AI
American McGee offered a unique perspective on the potential future of the Alice series through the lens of AI technology. Despite the current end of the series, McGee suggested that the comprehensive design bible created for Alice: Asylum could serve as a perfect input for an AI system to build the game as outlined in the document.
While acknowledging that the idea might be controversial and seem like wishful thinking, he expressed a belief that in the coming years, feeding such detailed game designs to AI could become a viable way to develop games. This perspective offers a ray of hope for fans who would like to see Alice’s story continued, albeit in a very different way than traditional game development.
McGee advised fans to consider focusing their efforts on AI-related solutions rather than pursuing the traditional routes, which have been exhausted. He highlighted the complexities of creating a game based on a public domain character like Alice while navigating the legal and proprietary challenges associated with the existing Alice game series owned by EA.
His advice to fans was clear: instead of continually asking him questions to which he has no answers, it would be more productive to explore the possibilities that AI technology may offer for the future of game development, including the potential resurrection of the Alice series.
American McGee’s Final Statements on the Alice Series
American McGee has made his final statements regarding the Alice series, expressing a desire to focus on his personal life and other priorities. He has communicated a polite yet unmistakable message to fans: the journey with Alice has come to an end, and it is time for everyone involved to move on.
McGee has shown gratitude towards those who have shown concern for his wellbeing during this challenging period. He has now shifted his attention to his family and his day job, stepping away from the gaming industry and the series that he created.
For fans who remain interested in discussing the future of Alice, McGee has suggested finding a community elsewhere to continue those conversations. His guidance is clear—while the Alice series has been a significant part of his life and the lives of many fans, the story, as far as his involvement is concerned, has reached its conclusion.
